Before I get into the tips for how to study math let me first say that everyone studies differently and there is no one right way to study for a math class. There are a lot of tips in this document and there is a pretty good chance that you will not agree with all of them or find that you can’t do all of them due to time constraints. There is nothing wrong with that. We all study differently and all that anyone can ask of us is that we do the best that we can. It is my intent with these tips to help you do the best that you can given the time that you’ve got to work with.
Now, I figure that there are two groups of people here reading this document, those that are happy with their grade, but are interested in what I’ve got to say and those that are not happy with their grade and want some ideas on how to improve. Here are a couple of quick comments for each of these groups.
If you have a study routine that you are happy with and you are getting the grade you want from your math class you may find this an interesting read. There is, of course, no reason to change your study habits if you’ve been successful with them in the past. However, you might benefit from a comparison of your study habits to the tips presented here.
If you are not happy with your grade in your math class and you are looking for ways to improve your grade there are a couple of general comments that I need to get out of the way before proceeding with the tips. Most people who are doing poorly in a math class fall into three main categories
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Showing posts with label math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label math. Show all posts
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS Tutorial
To a mathematician math is an end in itself; to the chemist and chemistry student it is a means to an end: a tool. Little in chemistry can be studied and understood without the aid of mathematics. Since math will be an important tool for you it is best if you learn to use this tool efficiently.
Efficiency at doing anything comes through practice; you learn to do something by doing it. The problems in this Tutorial are for your practice. You should do these problems over and over until you can do them automatically. Then when the time comes to use these skills in a chemistry problem you can pay attention to the principle illustrated by the problem and not get lost in the use of math.
If you have to spend what seems like an extraordinary amount of time on these problems, then, definitely, you need to practice and the time spent will repay you many times over during the semester. It may even make the difference between doing well and dropping out. The two math skills covered in this Tutorial are: (1) exponential arithmetic and (2) significant figures.
EXPONENTIAL ARITHMETIC: The basics are given in Appendix A, section A.1, pp 1012-1014, of your lecture text.
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Efficiency at doing anything comes through practice; you learn to do something by doing it. The problems in this Tutorial are for your practice. You should do these problems over and over until you can do them automatically. Then when the time comes to use these skills in a chemistry problem you can pay attention to the principle illustrated by the problem and not get lost in the use of math.
If you have to spend what seems like an extraordinary amount of time on these problems, then, definitely, you need to practice and the time spent will repay you many times over during the semester. It may even make the difference between doing well and dropping out. The two math skills covered in this Tutorial are: (1) exponential arithmetic and (2) significant figures.
EXPONENTIAL ARITHMETIC: The basics are given in Appendix A, section A.1, pp 1012-1014, of your lecture text.
Download
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