8.592 - Fall 2025 - Anonymous Comments


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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 14 Oct 2025

How should we submit the final project proposal?

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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 11 Oct 2025

In PS3 2(c), are we permitted to assume N is sufficiently large?

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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 4 Oct 2025

Hi, what is l_{P} in Problem 3(e)? Is it the persistent length, which is defined as $\xi_{p}=\beta\kappa$ in the lecture note?

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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 30 Sep 2025

Hi, I am trying to view the lecture notes for Lecture 8 (today's lecture), but it looks like the pdf link is broken (I get the error "An error was encountered while processing the file. Some features might not work.") Could you try re-uploading the notes? Thank you.

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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 29 Sep 2025

I'm slightly confused about Problem Set 2 Q3-5 that variously ask us to write drift-diffusion equations or Kolmogorov equations. These questions all are in discrete time. Is the desired solution in the form of discrete time jumps? Or do we need a continuum limit? Or do we simply plug in values for average changes like <delta n> directly into the equations derived in class? Thanks for any clarity on these points.
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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 28 Sep 2025

Re: PSet 2 6(a) and (b), can I check that it should be $G_{t+1}$, not $G_{1+1}$? Is that a typo?
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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 28 Sep 2025

In Assignment 2 Question 1c), is O_i assumed to be time-independent? And should we assume mutation is zero like in 1b)? Thanks!
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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 27 Sep 2025

Dear Professors, can you please explain how the Assignment optional questions marks work? For instance, if the maximum available is 30+30 and I scored 25+10, does this mean I will receive the full 30 for the Assignment, because the optional 10 marks made up the extra 5 marks for the compulsory questions? Thanks!
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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 25 Sep 2025

The figure on the last page of the assignment 1 solution seems to be blank.

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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 15 Sep 2025

For a question like Q3e), is it permitted to use a calculator eg. Mathematica/Wolfram Alpha to perform tedious matrix inverses?

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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 13 Sep 2025

Can I please double-check with you your response for Assignment 1 Q3e)? The Assignment sheet does say that p_- is the "lower probability". Thanks!

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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 7 Sep 2025

To clarify, in Pset 1 Q5, the "steady state" means that the *fractions* of cells with certain numbers of mutations stay constant over time, not the *absolute numbers*? It seems that cells either survive or die, but I can't see a provision for reproduction, which implies the total population should strictly decrease with every generation?  I ask because the question also refers to a "fixed number N cells" which doesn't seem possible if cells die every generation without reproduction.

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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 7 Sep 2025

Assignment 1 Q3e) states that C/G bases should occur less frequently, however the transversion probabilities of A->C and T->G is stated to occur with the higher probability of p_+, which seems contradictory. Should the transversion probabilities be reversed instead, ie A->C and T->G be p_-?

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From: anonymous-8.592-student@MIT.EDU
Subject: comments on 8.592
Date: 6 Sep 2025

To clarify, in problem 1 in HW1, is N (ORF length) the number of triplets or the number of nucleotides?

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8.592 Anonymous Discussions- last updated     10/15/2025  by    M. Kardar