TITLE: Can someone explain this anecdote from Bob Weinstock?
QUESTION [8 upvotes]: In this interesting essay explaining the performance gap among minorities in elite universities, there is an anecdote at the very bottom of the essay which intrigued me. Here's the screenshot: 

I feel left out of the joke. Can anyone explain what's going on here?

REPLY [6 votes]: The joke is that although the student integrated the function using substitution to get $\frac{(1-x)^4}{4}$ instead of substituting the limits of integration directly into this compact form he multiplied it out and made significantly more work for himself.