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Professor Post
Math 143, MW 4-5:15pm
Chapter Summary
9/10/12
Chapter 2 Summary
In this chapter there are three main phases that are discussed. These three
Phases are Entry, Attack and Review. They are used to solve the math problems we
may run into from time to time. Moving from one phase to another corresponds to
a change in your feelings about the question. It also reflects the progress that is or
is not being made. Work in the Entry phase often begins with specializing in order
to get to a grip on the question.
The Entry phase is when we formulate the question with what we need to
do. I understood that it can go two ways. One is by absorbing the information
given and then finding out what the question is really asking. Entry is to make
some preparations for the attack, like deciding on a notation or recording the
results. It is good to ask these three questions when we are in the Entry phase. They
are: What do I know? What do I want? What can I introduce? I also read that it is
helpful to draw a diagram and then ask the questions. To mark down the
information you know on it. A diagram is one of the most powerful tools for
showing information and it can be useful not only in geometric questions but in
other situations too. The Tethered Goat is a problem that is an example for this
phase. Restating the Tethered Goat is helpful. The goat swings around the shed in a
sequence of circular arcs and we want to find the total area of the sectors.
The second question is what do I want? In this question I learned it helps in
figuring out what it is we have to do to find an answer or prove something is true.
For example, in the Tethered Goat example, it is good to know what you are
looking for. To label the area with an A, so we know what it is it stands for. There
is also another good example in the chapter for this phase that is one of the
envelopes. This example asks how should I make myself an envelope? It was
helpful to know that if you are stuck it is good to ask yourself these questions.
Have you examined some typical envelopes? What size paper do I need to make an
envelope for a given size of writing paper? Do I need an envelope at all? What
properties must an envelope have?
In next phase is what can I introduce? There is sometimes a need for us to
draw out a diagram or picture to understand the problem better. Sometimes it
necessary to introduce charts or tables for organizing data and symbols to stand for