GUIDELINES FOR READING MATHEMATICS
M 362K (Fall 03, Smith)
You will be given regular reading assignments from the text and handouts
in this course. You will be expected to read for understanding and retention.
This means in particular that you will need to read more slowly than if you
were reading a novel or even a history textbook. Be sure to allow enough
time for your reading assignments!
In many reading assignments, you will be given some reading guidelines. Be
sure to read and follow these to help focus your reading productively!
You will need to think as you read, connecting examples,
explanations, and diagrams. Most people find that when reading technical
material like mathematics, their mind sometimes wanders away
from the subject. When this happens, be sure to go back and reread the section
you were not concentrating on.
Math textbooks usually do not include all of the details
of calculations and other technical explanations; some are left for the reader
to fill in. Unless told otherwise, you will be expected to work out for yourself
details that are not included in the reading, so have pencil and paper handy
to do this.
If you are assigned reading that is on the web, print
it out before reading it. Hardly anyone can read mathematics adequately
directly from a computer screen.
Learning vocabulary is an important part of learning in
any subject. Many terms used in this course will be defined in the text.
Usually they appear in italics when they are first used. Be sure to learn
their meanings. Be especially careful not to confuse their use in a technical
sense (as defined in the text) with other meanings of the same word. For
example, in Section 1.4, the word "combination" is used in a way that is
more specialized than (although related to) the ordinary use of that word.
For more tips on reading textbooks (in this or other classes)
effectively, try the following websites:
UT Learning Center handout: http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/handouts/1422.html.
Mathematical Association of America website : Helping Undergraduates
Learn to Read Mathematics: Reading Theorems and Reading Definitions:
http://www.maa.org/t%5Fand%5Fl/exchange/ite3/reading%5Freiter.html
Other math professors' handouts on reading mathematics:
http://www.gac.edu/~mmcdermo/mcs122/s00/ReadingMath.html
www.calumet.purdue.edu/public/math/kevinlee/mathwriting/readingtips.pdf