Orthogonal Input From A Mathematics Professor

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What is the deal with the use of “orthogonal” anyway? It’s the buzzword du jour of smart, with-it, and just a tad pretentious law profs these days. Here’s one definition: Mutually independent; well separated; sometimes, irrelevant to. Used in a generalization of its mathematical meaning to describe sets of primitives or capabilities that, like a vector basis in geometry, span the entire ‘capability space’ of the system and are in some sense non-overlapping or mutually independent.” That was edifying, wasn’t it? In any event, here is an observation from Learning Curves:

All Crazy Grading Schemes Are Equal To My Students
Note to self: in the fall, remember to repeatedly explain the grading system to the students multiple times during the semester. Unlike you, they do not study the syllabus with lawyer-like intensity searching for the loopholes that will maximize grades while minimizing effort. No, even if the exams were worth 0% of the grade and the homework worth 100%, they would still study like mad for the exams and neglect to do the homework.

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