CONCEPTS & MATHEMATICS
The actual process of studying science can usually be best accomplished by reading over the assigned material to get a general idea of the content and then listing and looking up all of the important words that are new to you. A list of KEY TERMS is provided at the end of each chapter that will help you determine which concepts are critical to the understanding of the material in that section. Now your real challenge begins. Read over the questions in the study guide to get some idea about how they pertain to the overall lesson. As necessary, reread those parts of the chapter that you do not fully understand. Now answer the questions that have been assigned. Look especially for ways that the questions could be reworded to make the other answers correct. This is the way many questions for examinations are developed. You should then reread theentire section, letting all of the pieces fall into place in you mind. This process will give you the optimum amount of learning from the material covered and is in fact a good general study procedure for any course that you may take.
I do not agree with the idea that a survey course in science can be taught without any mathematics. Science is based on the careful measurement and observation of physical phenomenon, and the development of explanations and predictions from these measurements. The full power and beauty of science can only be appreciated when the interaction of observation, mathematics, and prediction are realized. This does not mean that I expect you to be able to do complicated math, but some of the material will be presented in a mathematical format. Relationships are sometimes most easily expressed and remembered in the from of equations. Equations are simply a shorthand representation and are formulated to help you remember the material, not to confuse you. You should try to learn how to use these equations as memory aids to the actual relationships involved and not just try to "plug" numbers into them to get an answer.
I have also prepared copies of the transparencies that I use in class
for the aid of students who find it difficult to copy all of this material
from the screen during class. These copies are included in the Appendix
to this study guide. There is obviously lecture material that goes along
with these transparencies that you will not be able to take advantage of,
but these transparencies will provide a good outline of the text material
and also show you the material I think is most important. Students who have
used the transparency copies have told me that they are very valuable in
preparing for exams. These transparency copies are not designed to replace
the text book. They are, however, a good supplement to the material covered.