Section 1.3 Learning Goals

Each chapter will begin with a picture (for fun), a short introductory paragraph, and then some learning goals. They will always look like this: This chapter will concentrate on learning idea X. That includes learning the following:

You can use these learning goals as a “study guide” and will let you know when you have achieved mastery of a subject. If you look through a chapter’s learning goals and can be absolutely certain that you have mastered every one of the bullet points, then you have mastered the material in that chapter. It is a good idea to refer to these learning goals frequently throughout the semester, even for chapters that have already been completed to ensure that you are up to speed with the course.

Keep in mind that it’s best to mix your studies with different activities. This can include reading this textbook, watching related videos, working on problems with your friends, and getting exercise. No one can learn this material in a single sitting. No matter how much you enjoy it. For an interesting analogy, you might want to look at the story of Rowinsky’s Cake Shop, where students who thought they were really smart, could win a prize by eating an entire cheesecake in an hour, but no one was ever able to do it.