Lecture 0: Introduction to these notes

Most instructors write out, at least in outline form, their lecture notes. That is what these are. A little more care and effort goes into these notes since they are going on the web.

Do not confuse the lecture notes for a textbook. These notes contain material clear to the instructor, but may not be clear to you. For instance, an example may consist of something like “consider the data in the following table”. The instructor can easily fill in the missing details during class. Similarly, graphs are often labeled well enough for the instructor’s use, but not up to the standards of a textbook. You should not assume that, just because you read the lecture notes, you can skip reading the textbook. The lecture notes, like the lectures, are intended to give insights into the material covered in the text and to add material to that covered in the textbook. You need to master the textbook and the lectures when you are preparing for an exam.

A suggestion on how to use these notes

The lecture notes can be of great help in completely understanding the material in the lectures. With these notes, you should be able to spend your time listening and thinking in class, and not attempting to write down every word.

You should read the lectures before class, and see what you do and do not understand. When the material is covered in class, see if the issues you are having trouble understanding are cleared up by the discussion. If not, ask questions.

Do not

· Try to take down everything said, but add to the notes where appropriate.

· Expect these notes to be so complete that you can skip the lectures.

· Expect these notes to be a substitute for the text.