Study Skills in Action
405
Study Skills in Action
Viewing Math as a Foreign Language
Learning math requires more than just completing homework problems. For instance, learning the
material in a chapter may require using approaches similar to those used for learning a foreign language in that you must:
Ɣ understand and memori]e Yocabulary words
Ɣ understand and memori]e mathematical rules as you would memori]e grammatical rules and
Ɣ apply rules to mathematical e[pressions or equations like creating sentences using correct
grammar rules).
<ou should understand the Yocabulary words and rules in a chapter as well as memori]e and say them
out loud. 6triYe to speak the mathematical language with fluency, just as a student learning a foreign
language must striYe to do.
Smart Study Strategy
Matrix
real numbers.
A rectangular array of
x:
tri
ma
Here is a 2 x 3
column
Make Note Cards
Invest in three different colors of 4 × 6 note
cards. Use one color for each of the following:
vocabulary words; rules; and calculator
keystrokes.
row
-
-
-
-
-
-
234
01 5
Cramer’s Rule for the system
a1x + b1 y = c1
a2x + b2 y = c2
The solution is giv
en
em
e syst
h
t
h
p
Gra
+1
y = 2x
– 2.
y = –x
by
c1 b1
x= D
—x = c2 b2 , y= D y
D
—=
a1 b1
D
a2 b 2
provided that D
=/ 0.
a1 c1
a2 c2
a1 b1
a2 b 2
— + 1 ENTER
Y= 2 X,T,O,n
— – 2 ENTER
Y= (-) X,T,O,n
ZOOM 6
t 8SJUFWPDBCVMBSZXPSETPOOPUFDBSETPOF
SJUF WPDBCVMBSZ XPSET PO OPUF DBSET POF
XPSEQFSDBSE8SJUFUIFEFGJOJUJPOBOEBOFYXPSEQFSDBSE8SJUFUIFEFGJOJUJPOBOEBO
ample
FYBNQMFPOUIFPUIFSTJEF*GQPTTJCMFQVU
on the other side. If possible, put definitions
definitions
in your
inown
yourwords.
own words.
t 8SJUF
SJUFSVMFTPOOPUFDBSETPOFQFSDBSE
SVMFT PO OPUF DBSET POF QFS DBSE
*ODMVEF
*ODMVEFBOFYBNQMFBOEBOFYQMBOBUJPO
BO FYBNQMF BOE BO FYQMBOBUJPO
on the other side.
t 8SJUF
SJUFFBDILJOEPGDBMDVMBUJPOPOBTFQBSBUF
FBDI LJOE PG DBMDVMBUJPO PO B TFQBSBUF
note card.
card. Include
Includethe
thekeystrokes
keystrokesrequired
requiredtoto
perform the calculation on the other side.
Use the note cards as references while doing your
homework. Quiz yourself once a day.