Engineering Mathematics 5th Edition

Book Preface

This book contains forty lessons called Programmes. Each Programme has been written in such a way as to make learning more effective and more interesting. It is like having a personal tutor because you proceed at your own rate of learning and any difficulties you may have are cleared before you have the chance to practise incorrect ideas or techniques.

You will find that each Programme is divided into numbered sections called frames. When you start a Programme, begin at Frame 1. Read each frame carefully and carry out any instructions or exercise that you are asked to do. In almost every frame, you are required to make a response of some kind, testing your understanding of the information in the frame, and you can immediately compare your answer with the correct answer given in the next frame. To obtain the greatest benefit, you are strongly advised to cover up the following frame until you have made your response. When a series of dots occurs, you are expected to supply the missing word, phrase, number or mathematical expression. At every stage you will be guided along the right path. There is no need to hurry: read the frames carefully and follow the directions exactly. In this way, you must learn.

Each Programme opens with a list of Learning outcomes which specify exactly what you will learn by studying the contents of the Programme. The Programme ends with a matching checklist of Can Yon? questions that enables you to rate your success in having achieved the Learning outcomes. If you feel sufficiently confident then tackle the short Test exerche which follows. This is set directly on what you have learned in the Programme: the questions are straightforward and contain no tricks. To provide you with the necessary practice, a set of Further problems is also included: do as many of these problems as you can. Remember, that in mathematics, as in many other situations, practice makes perfect – or more nearly so.

Of the forty Programmes, the first twelve are at Foundation level. Some of these will undoubtedly contain material with which you are already familiar. However, read the Programme’s Learning outcomes and if you feel confident about them try the Quiz that immediately follows – you will soon find out if you need a refresher course. Indeed, even if you feel you have done some of the topics before, it would still be worthwhile to work steadily through the Programme: it will serve as useful revision and fill any gaps in your knowledge that you may have.

When you have come to the end of a Foundation level Programme and have rated your success in achieving the Learning outcomes using the Can You? checklist, go back to the beginning of the Programme and try the Quiz before you complete the Programme with the Test exercise and the Further problems. This way you will get even more practice.