Surviving the pitfalls of learning(Survivorman & Man vs. Wild)
The skills of surviving extreme environments are not much different than surviving the pitfalls of studying a difficult subject. First of all, the knowledge needed cannot be learned in a superficial manner, it has to be solidly learned so that it can be used. Secondly, one must be attuned to mental and physical stresses. That gives clues as to what is wrong and what is needed. Finally, difficult tasks must be broken down into simpler tasks which are mastered before tackling more complicated ones. A tutorial on this is listed at the bottom of this introduction.
Symbols R-US
(
R-Us)
(Da Vinci Code & National Treasure)
Robert Langdon in the Da Vinci Code along with Abigail Chase and Ben Gates in National Treasure demonstrated an impressive understanding of a huge array of symbols. Surprisingly, a person who studies chemistry knows a lot more symbols than they do. Even though chemistry ultimately is about tangible substances that we can feel, see, smell, and taste, it still uses a bewildering number of symbols. That's why chemistry could be called "Symbols R-Us." A tutorial on this is listed at the bottom of this introduction.
Make Math Your Friend
(Good Will Hunting & Star Trek)
It's a bit hard to believe but some people really like math. We see that in the character of Will Hunting in Good Will Hunting and also with the character of Spock in the Star Trek movies. They find math empowering because it unveils truths about the world around them. Math also gives them a tool to analyze, plan, and predict. In chemistry, math goes even deeper because atoms are built using rules of math. So chemistry requires a mastery of math on many levels. So make math your friend and you're on the right track.
Surviving the Pitfalls of Learning - Quiz
Symbols R-Us - Tutorial
Symbols R-Us - Quiz
Make Math Your Friend - Tutorial