Learning Journal Questions

What information did you not know before.
1.6 Counting Derangements (and associated equations) was a new subject area of mathematics which appears to have numerous practical applications.
2.4 Characteristic Root Techniques for solving problem isn’t entirely new, however, it helps fill the gaps in my toolbox needed to solve the progressively complex problems we are starting to encounter.

What information was contrary to what you believed.
This week’s material was a logical extension of material covered in previous sections, consequently there were no surprising ideas to deal with.

How was the Discussion and /or assignment helpful in mastering new information.
I went a bit overboard with the subject and wrote a program to explore a …show more content…
The material on characteristic root techniques, telescoping, and the associated algebra were particularly interesting. There is something satisfying in solving a challenging problem which involves a series of graceful steps. It’s like coming over a horizon and seeing a beautiful sunset.

What did you find challenging.
1. The Written Assignment Unit 5, question 3 (recurrence relation) was particularly difficult. Most of the characteristic equations I have seen involve the variables A and B, whereas this involved A, B, and C. I solved it, but was unsure of my approach until verifying it on the web.
2. Applying the approaches to complex problems will remain a challenge until I memorize the characteristic solutions. Adding them to my study sheet is the first step in achieving this.

What did you realize about you and your learning style
1. Worry can significantly lower your productivity. Due to family challenges, I have had to significantly reduce the time allocated for courses. Unfortunately, the time I am spending has been less than productive. This isn’t an issue of distractions, getting my head in the game has become rather