• Many of the problems that we have included in the book are open-ended. This means that there may be more than one approach and more than one solution, depending on your analysis. Many times, solving a problem relies on common-sense ideas that are not stated in the problem but which you will know from everyday life.
• Some problems in this book assume that you have access to a graphing calculator or computer. There are many situations where you may not be able to find an exact solution to a problem, but you can use a calculator or computer to get a reasonable approximation.
• This book attempts to give equal weight to four methods for describing functions: graphical (a picture), numerical (a table of values), algebraic (a formula), and verbal. Sometimes you may find it easier to translate a problem given in one form into another. The best idea is to be flexible about your approach: if one way of looking at a problem doesn't work, try another.
• Students using this book have found discussing these problems in small groups very helpful. There are a great many problems which are not cut-and-dried; it can help to attack them with the other perspectives your colleagues can provide. If group work is not feasible, see if your instructor can organize a discussion session in which additional problems can be worked on.
• You are probably wondering what you'll get from the book. The answer is, if you put in a solid effort, you will get a real understanding of one of the most important accomplishments of the last millennium—calculus—as well as a real sense of the power of mathematics in the age of technology.