deem432 Wrote:I tried to answer this question by making an RTD chart and quickly discovered it was possible, but definitely not the best approach. I keep finding myself trying to make charts when there are better approaches to solving a problem. Are there signs I should be looking for that indicate using an RTD chart is not the best option? Although I understand this problem and can now easily solve it, I am not confident I would be able to solve similar problems. I have a serious problem with memorizing solutions instead of learning them.
I find that a lot of students think that making charts, writing equations, etc., will magically get them the answer when it really will not (as you have found!).
To me, it's tough to tell you exactly which questions will be good to do with a chart and which will not. It really depends on you; speaking for myself, I rarely use a chart. I'd suggest that you do a bunch of problems. First try the problem without a chart, then try the problem with a chart (or vice versa). See which approaches work for which problems, and then make your own connections.
I really wish that I could be more helpful, but it's an individual thing. I will say that sometimes charts can help you organize your information, whether or not you use them to solve.