A short conversation during office hours can save hours of aimless frustration. Extra Credit Most homework assignments will offer opportunities to earn extra credit. Extra credit on homework has no particular point value. I use extra credit to adjust final letter grades . It is possible to earn an A without doing any extra credit .
Different rules apply to extra-credit problems on examinations, if any.
A solution to a problem is of little value if that solution cannot be understood and modified by others. For that reason, your homework will be graded on your explanation of what you are doing as well as your results. For many homeworks, especially those involving substantial programming, half of your grade will be based on your explanation. Appropriate explanations vary with the size of the problem. For a trivial solution of a few lines of code, it may be best to have no explanation at all.