Your grade will be based on the better of a curved grade
and an absolute grade.   The grading scale is based on
the first four MPs and the first midterm (a total of
29% of the final grade).<P>

The curve includes only A's and B's (28% A's, and 43% B's), and the numbers are
based on the number of people who took the first midterm (86),
so drops may change the numbers slightly (if someone with an 
estimated grade drops the class, that number goes down by 1).<P>

<PRE>
grade # students (cumulative) points
  A       16         (16)       90
  A-       8         (24)       85
  B+       9         (33)       80
  B       19         (52)       75
  B-       9         (61)       70
  C+                            65
  C                             60
  C-                            55
  D+                            50
  D                             45
  D-                            40
</PRE><P>

Interpret the table as follows: the top 16 students will get
A's, as will anyone getting 90+ of the 100 possible total
points. The top 24 will get A- or better, as will anyone
getting 85+ of the total, etc.<P>

The curve and the absolute scale are roughly equivalent in the
current grade estimates.

--SL