Math 130
Frank Sottile

General write-ups:
All Write-ups out of 40		       A:  36
   Grading on a straight scale	       B:  31
				       C:  26
				       D:  21

 Poison:

Only 2 papers disappointed me, and
     4  more were not up to the level of the course.
     3  were truly exceptional.
The bulk were quite good.  Standards will rise as the term progresses

##########################################################################

Here is a nice summation of the strategy for the 10 counter game, written
the paragraph after a nice discussion of what they discovered when playing
the game.

"Upon further examination, an even deeper pattern can be found.
Each of the `ideal numbers' listed above (1, 4, 7, 10) are exactly 3 digits
apart. Therefore, as long as I can leave my opponent with an `ideal number' by
making sure that three counters are removed every round, I will win."


Another nice thing someone did was to summarize everything in a
"My Solution to Poison: A Cheat Sheet for All Novices"

Also nice:

"To Summarize, the winning strategy for playing poison with any number of
counters is:
  Case 1 -- 3x+1: Go second and ensure that 3 counters are removed each round
  Case 2 -- 3x+2: Go first, and remove 1 counter, then play like Game 1
  Case 3 -- 3x:   Go first, and remove 2 counters, then play like Game 1 "

#############################################################################

Best Title:  "The Antidote"