What is Introduction: Definition and 813 Discussions

In an essay, article, or book, an introduction (also known as a prolegomenon) is a beginning section which states the purpose and goals of the following writing. This is generally followed by the body and conclusion.
The introduction typically describes the scope of the document and gives the brief explanation or summary of the document. It may also explain certain elements that are important to the essay if explanations are not part of the main text. The readers can have an idea about the following text before they actually start reading it.
ln technical writing, the introduction typically includes one or more standard subsections: abstract or summary, preface, acknowledgments, and foreword. Alternatively, the section labeled introduction itself may be a brief section found side-by-side with abstract, foreword, etc. (rather than containing them). In this case the set of sections that come before the body of the book are known as the front matter. When the book is divided into numbered chapters, by convention the introduction and any other front-matter sections are unnumbered and precede chapter 1.
Keeping the concept of the introduction the same, different documents have different styles to introduce the written text. For example, the introduction of a Functional Specification consists of information that the whole document is yet to explain. If a Userguide is written, the introduction is about the product. In a report, the introduction gives a summary about the report contents.

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  1. tsuwal

    Metric Spaces: Exercise 1.14 from Introduction to Topology (Dover)

    Homework Statement X is a metric and E is a subspace of X (E\subsetX) The boundary ∂E of a set E is defined to be the set of points adherent to both E and the complement of E, ∂E=\overline{E}\cap(\overline{X\E}) (ignore the red color, i can't get it out) Show that E is open if and only...
  2. micromass

    Relativity Introduction to Special Relativity by Rindler

    Author: Wolfgang Rindler Title: Introduction to Special Relativity Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0198539525/?tag=pfamazon01-20
  3. micromass

    Quantum A Modern Introduction to Quantum Field Theory by Maggiore

    Author: Michele Maggiore Title: A Modern Introduction to Quantum Field Theory Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0198520743/?tag=pfamazon01-20
  4. micromass

    Topology Introduction to Topology by Mendelson

    Author: Bert Mendelson Title: Introduction to Topology Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486663523/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Level: Undergrad
  5. N

    Distance and speed word problem. Introduction to vectors.

    Homework Statement Two cars start from the same point at the same time, with one car traveling at a constant speed of 55 mph, and the other car having a constant speed of 70 mph. How far has the faster car traveled when it has a 15 minute lead on the slower car? Problems like this always...
  6. micromass

    Introduction to Physical Oceanography by Stewart

    Author: Robert Stewart Title: Introduction to Physical Oceanography Download Link: http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_textbook/PDF_files/book_pdf_files.html Prerequisities: Contents:
  7. micromass

    Linear Algebra Introduction to Linear Algebra by Lang

    Author: Serge Lang Title: Introduction to Linear Algebra Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/3540780602/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: High-School mathematics Level: Undergrad Table of Contents: Vectors Definition of Points in Space Located Vectors Scalar Product The Norm of...
  8. micromass

    Classical Introduction to Electrodynamics by Griffiths

    Author: David Griffiths Title: Introduction to Electrodynamics Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321856562/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Calculus 1,2,3, Basic E&M Level: Upper-level undergrad Table of Contents 1. Vector Analysis 2. Electrostatics 3. Potentials 4...
  9. micromass

    Analysis Introduction to Analysis by Mattuck

    Author: Arthur Mattuck Title: Introduction to Analysis Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0130811327/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Level: Undergrad Table of Contents: Preface Real Numbers and Monotone Sequences Introduction; Real numbers Increasing sequences Limit of an...
  10. micromass

    Geometry A Comprehensive Introduction to Differential Geometry series by Spivak

    Author: Michael Spivak Title: A Comprehensive Introduction to Differential Geometry Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0914098705/?tag=pfamazon01-20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0914098713/?tag=pfamazon01-20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0914098721/?tag=pfamazon01-20...
  11. micromass

    Prob/Stats An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications by Feller

    Author: William Feller Title: An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0471257087/?tag=pfamazon01-20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0471257095/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Table of Contents for Volume I: Introduction: The Nature of...
  12. micromass

    Relativity An Introduction to General Relativity by Hughston and Tod

    Author: L.P. Hughston and K.P. Tod Title: An Introduction to General Relativity Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/052133943X/?tag=pfamazon01-20
  13. micromass

    Linear Algebra Introduction to Linear Algebra by Strang

    Author: Gilbert Strang Title: Introduction to Linear Algebra Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0980232716/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Contents: Table of Contents: Introduction to Vectors Vectors and Linear Combinations Lengths and Dot Products Solving Linear Equations...
  14. micromass

    Geometry Riemannian Manifolds: An Introduction to Curvature by Lee

    Author: John Lee Title: Riemannian Manifolds: An Introduction to Curvature Amazon link https://www.amazon.com/dp/0387983228/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: "Introduction to Smooth Manifolds" by Lee seems like a prereq. Level: Grad Table of Contents: Preface What Is Curvature? The...
  15. micromass

    Geometry Introduction to Smooth Manifolds by Lee

    Author: John Lee Title: Introduction to Smooth Manifolds Amazon link https://www.amazon.com/dp/0387954481/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Topology, Linear algebra, Calculus 3. Some analysis wouldn't hurt either. Level: Grad Table of Contents: Smooth Manifolds Topological Manifolds...
  16. bcrowell

    Classical An Introduction to Mechanics by Daniel Kleppner and Robert J. Kolenkow

    Author: Daniel Kleppner and Robert J. Kolenkow Title: An Introduction to Mechanics Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521198119/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Table of Contents: 1. Vectors and kinematics - a few mathematical preliminaries 2. Newton's laws - the foundations of...
  17. bcrowell

    Relativity Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity by Sean M. Carroll

    Author: Sean M. Carroll Title: Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805387323/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Download Link: http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/March01/Carroll3/Carroll_contents.html Prerequisities: Contents: Contents: 1...
  18. Greg Bernhardt

    Prob/Stats Introduction to the Practice of Statistics by David Moore

    The Basic Practice of Statistics by David Moore Author: David Moore Title: The Basic Practice of Statistics Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1429230932/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Calculus 1,2,3, Linear Algebra Table of Contents: To the Instructor: About This Book To the...
  19. Greg Bernhardt

    Quantum An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory by Michael E. Peskin

    Author: Michael E. Peskin (Author), Dan V. Schroeder (Author) Title: An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201503972/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Contents:
  20. Greg Bernhardt

    Solid State Introduction to Solid State Physics by Charles Kittel

    Author: Charles Kittel Title: Introduction to Solid State Physics Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/047141526X/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Contents:
  21. Greg Bernhardt

    Introduction to Algorithms by Thomas H. Cormen

    Author: Thomas H. Cormen (Author), Charles E. Leiserson (Author), Ronald L. Rivest (Author), Clifford Stein (Author) Title: Introduction to Algorithms Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262033844/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Contents:
  22. Greg Bernhardt

    Linear Algebra Linear Algebra: A Modern Introduction by David Poole

    Author: David Poole Title: Linear Algebra: A Modern Introduction Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0538735457/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Table of Contents: Vectors Introduction: The Racetrack Game The Geometry and Algebra of Vectors Length and Angle: The Dot Product...
  23. Greg Bernhardt

    Astrophysics An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics by Bradley W. Carroll and Dale A. Ostlie

    Author: Bradley W. Carroll (Author), Dale A. Ostlie (Author) Title: An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805304029/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Contents:
  24. Greg Bernhardt

    Atomic Atoms, Molecules and Photons: An Introduction by Wolfgang Demtröder

    Author: Wolfgang Demtröder Title: Atoms, Molecules and Photons: An Introduction Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/3642102972/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Contents:
  25. Greg Bernhardt

    Quantum Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by David J. Griffiths

    Author: David J. Griffiths Title: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0131118927/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Contents: Contents PART I: Theory 1.The Wave Function 1.1 The Schrodinger Equation 1.2 The Statistical Interpretation...
  26. Greg Bernhardt

    Particle Introduction to Elementary Particles by David Griffiths

    Author: David Griffiths Title: Introduction to Elementary Particles Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/3527406018/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Contents:
  27. Greg Bernhardt

    Topology Introduction to Topological Manifolds by John Lee

    Author: John M. Lee Title: Introduction to Topological Manifolds Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1441979395/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Real Analysis course involving epsilon-delta and preferebly metric spaces, group theory Level: Grad students Table of Contents: Preface...
  28. A

    An Introduction to Thermal Physics by Schroder - any thoughts

    Hi! I'll be covering the above book next semester and was wondering if there is anything I should be particularly aware of about thermal physics. -aLearner
  29. M

    Exploring Mechanics: A Review of Kleppner and Kolenkow's Textbook

    Can anyone comment on the difficulty level of this book? The one by Daniel Kleppner and Robert J Kolenkow. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521198216/?tag=pfamazon01-20 I've been thinking of buying it and studying from it, but reading the Amazon reviews has me thinking i should stay away from it...
  30. O

    Looking for book on Introduction to QFT

    Hi. I'm studying (introduction to) QFT, and I'm really lost. If possible, I'd like a pointer to a good textbook on the subject. I'll give an example of my confusion with a question: I think I've understood phi(x) as a classical scalar field, what it is and how to use it in a lagngian for...
  31. A

    Wrong answers to problems in Introduction to Electric Circuits, 8th Ed

    Wrong answers to problems in "Introduction to Electric Circuits, 8th Ed" I'm studying electric circuit analysis on my own using "Introduction to Electric Circuits, 8th Ed, International Student Version" by Dorf and Svoboda (ISBN 978-0-470-55302-2 to avoid any confusion) and it seems like every...
  32. M

    Good book for an introduction to proof based math

    I'm kind of new to proof based mathematics, can you guys give me an advice on what a good book pertaining to this should I get? I don't really care about what particular subject in mathematics it is, just as long as it can give me a good knowledge and skills in proving, and it's something...
  33. M

    Introduction to Electrodynamics: External Field & Induced Charge

    Homework Statement Introduction to Electrodynamics by Griffiths, 3rd ed. pg 141-2, Example 3.8: An uncharged metal sphere of radius R is placed in an otherwise uniform electric field E=(0,0,E). [The field will push positive charge to the northern surface of the sphere, leaving a negative...
  34. T

    Griffiths, introduction to E.M, Pr. 10.8 (Lorentz gauge)

    Homework Statement Confirm that the retarded potentials satisfy the Lorentz gauge condition. Homework Equations \vec{A}(\vec{r}, t) = \frac{\mu_{0}}{4\pi}\int\frac{\vec{J}(\vec{r'},t_{r})}{R}d\tau' V(\vec{r}, t) = \frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon_{0}}\int\frac{\rho(\vec{r'},t_{r})}{R}d\tau' Where...
  35. S

    Introduction to Special Relativity for a twelve year old

    Hello! I am currently a twelve-year old, and I am interested in learning about Relativity. I have heard that there are two main fields relativity is divided into - special relativity, and general relativity. Although some people have said that general relativity is considerably harder than...
  36. B

    Introduction to Finite Element Analysis

    Folks, I have the book An Introduction to the Finite Element Method by J.N Reddy. The following website provides http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072466855/student_view0/executables.html access to the Fortran Executable but I am not sure how to work them. I am just beginning to...
  37. B

    Thermal Physics Introduction- solving for entropy and temperature change

    Homework Statement A container is divided into two parts by a thermally conducting wall. There are N atoms of a monatomic ideal gas on the left side, 2N on the right. The gas on the left is initially at absolute temperature 200K, the gas on the right at 500K. a. After thermal equilibrium...
  38. A

    Introduction to digital logic design Video Lectures

    Hi, Can anybody recommend me a good video lecture series on Introduction to digital logic design? I want to watch these videos before going to class.
  39. S

    Looking for good introduction to coherence/decoherence

    Hi all, does anyone here have a good internet source that explains coherence and decoherence in layman's terms? My intro modern physics class left off at the beginning of schrodingers wave function due to time constraints and I am trying to teach myself a bit of the stuff we missed. Thanks =)...
  40. A

    Undergrad w/o formal quantum introduction, having trouble

    I am about to start my junior-level courses (advanced mechanics, quantum I, etc) and I've been working on a project with a professor this summer. Basically, I am trying to reproduce the results of this paper: http://arxiv.org/abs/nucl-th/9611049 . Right now I am trying to work only with...
  41. J

    Technical Paper for an Introduction to Mechanical Engineering class

    Hello all; I have a homework 'question' I'm hoping I can get some help with here. For my Introduction to Mechanical Engineering class, we have been tasked with writing a technical paper and there is a portion of the mark dedicated to using social media and the internet to enhance the paper...
  42. N

    Why is Griffiths not a good introduction to QM?

    I've seen quite a few people on this forum agree that Griffiths is not a good book to learn QM from. But I was wondering what reasons people would give for it. (Personally I don't feel I can give an in depth critique since I've only sampled his book. I rather liked his explanation of...
  43. matqkks

    Introducing Vectors: Motivating Examples to Make an Impact

    What is a good way to introduce vectors on a linear algebra course so that students are motivated from the start? I need an opening which will have a real impact. Are there any motivating examples?
  44. matqkks

    MHB Can Vectors Be The Key to Motivating Students in a Linear Algebra Course?

    What is a good way to introduce vectors on a linear algebra course so that students are motivated from the start? I need an opening which will have a real impact. Are there any motivating examples?
  45. A

    Good Textbooks for Introduction to Degree-Level Physics

    Hi - i am going to go to univerisity soon and have begun to look up courses in Physics. can anyone please recommend a degree-level physics textbook (in either general physics or a specialised area) that I can read over just to get an idea of the course and how it will be? i don't want a very...
  46. J

    How can I get started learning programming without any prior experience?

    Okay forgive me because i am completely new to programming - as i am going to ask some possibly stupid questions: How is a computer language like python, java created? Who creates them? Is Word,Excel created using python, java etc?
  47. Karlx

    A good book for an introduction to Algebraic Topology

    Hi everybody. Next year I will start an undergraduate course on algebraic topology. Which book would you suggest as a good introduction to this matter ? My first options are the following: 1.- "A First Course in Algebraic Topology" by Czes Kosniowski 2.- "Algebraic Topology: An...
  48. matqkks

    Vectors Intro: WOW Students with Linear Algebra!

    I am trying to write a hook for vectors on a linear algebra course. Does anyone have an opening fon vectors that will have a real impact on students?
  49. G

    Question about Courant's Introduction to calculus and analysis

    I am extremely interested in mathematics, and most probably plan to major in it. Do you guys feel as though this book would be accessible to a high-school student, willing to gain a more rigorous understanding of calculus? I have already completed calculus 1 and found it rather easy, and I am...
  50. A

    Personal introduction, OSU student.

    Hello folks, my name is Allan and I'm new here. Seems like a great forum. I'm looking for a study buddy at OSU. I'm an econ student switching over to a science and am prepping for honors physics in Autumn. Nothing overly cooperative - mostly for motivation. I'm in the honors program and at...
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