Index of Hypertextbooks

	Introduction and Guide to This Hypertext

Using A Web Browser	Tips on Using and Navigating This Hypertext	Objectives of This Project

Using A Web Browser If you're new to hypertext, the standard format of pages on the world wide web, there are only a couple of things you need to know to navigate: Links are highlighted sections of text or graphics which "point to" another page. Almost always, text links are underlined. In most browers, when the mouse pointer is positioned over a link, it turns into a hand to signify that a mouse click on that position will activate the link and you'll jump to the linked page. Since you're reading this page, you must have already used a hypertext link on another page to get here. In most browsers, a link changes color after it has been activated, facilitating keeping track of which sections you've visited (you may have to enable this option in your browser, and can set when "visited links" expire. Back and Forward buttons (often arrows) are almost certainly present at the top (toolbar) of your browser window. Clicking on the Back icon takes you back to the page you came from, which is often very handy. You can click this button many times to back up through many pages. Clicking on Forward takes you back to the page you came from. Image maps are a sophisticated form of link, in which different sections of a graphic act as links to different pages. Clicking on a particular section activates the link. These are particular popular on web pages for commercial sites. Bookmarks can be set in almost all browsers. If you come to a page of particular interest that you may want to visit again without searching it out, set a bookmark (sometimes referred to as "Favorites"). Recent versions of most browsers are email-enabled. If set up appropriately (IP addresses, etc), you can open a mail window at any time and send a message to anyone whose address you remember. Importantly, this allows you to use mailto links. These look like standard hypertext links, although their context usually signals that the intent is to send a message. A mailto link can be seen at the bottom of this page. A note for those using classroom computers: most likely, you will not be able to use mailto links on common-use computers, because this requires the browser to be set up with a common use email address or for the user email address to be changed for every session. Tips on Using and Navigating This Hypertext At the bottom of each page in this hypertext is a mailto link and a link to an online form for you to transmit comments to the authors. Please use this to let us know what you think and particularly to point out areas that are confusing or contain mistakes, including links that don't work. Each page is marked by an icon at the top to indicate, very roughly, what to expect regarding the level of detail for the material presented: Core material for a comprehensive, but introductory treatment of the subject. Advanced material that would likely be relevant in a graduate or professional course on the subject. Supplemental topics present information that is either "fun and interesting, but not critical to understanding of the subject" or information that might be classified as a research topic. Note that what is core to one discipline might be advanced or supplemental to another. When you jump from one discipline to another (usually the band on the left of the page will change color) the icons may loose some of their significance to your situation. Also remember that the categorizations necessarily reflect the authors' bias and are intended to provide only a guide to what material should be scrutinized (and possibly tested on). They should certainly not be used to constrain your following a subject of interest to its deepest level - that would defeat the whole purpose. To facilitate moving through the pages as though your were reading a book, most pages have a suggested "next topic" at the bottom ( Next Topic for .. ) Following these links may help chart a logical pathway through the material, particularly on your first visit through that section. Many of the pages in this text utilize animations and other effects the require a Java-enabled browser. Java is built into most modern browsers written for 32-bit operating systems, including Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. In some cases, an alternative static graphic is provided for browers without Java, but most of the time, you simply will not see the object and will miss some of what we consider the richest learning experiences. Note: If you think your browser should support Java and it doesn't appear to, Java may be disabled - check your brower's settings. If you can see the eyes moving below, your browser is Java-enabled: Your brower is not Java-enabled. Javascript is also used on quite a few pages in this text, so if some of the links do not appear to work, it may be that Javascript has been disabled in your browser. Click on this link - if a little window doesn't pop up, then your brower is not enabled for Javascript. Parenthetically, there are coming to be dozens of add-ons and plug-ins for browsers. None of these are being utilized in this hypertext except for Java. Objectives of This Project This hypertextbook is an educational experiment designed to assess the value of web-based information sources as a supplement to classroom teaching and for provision of continuing education. A key element of its design philosophy is to address two of the shortcomings of conventional textbooks: It is difficult to find a textbook that is useful to both beginners and advanced students. Learning any subject takes place by first obtaining an overview, then digging progressively deeper and deeper into the subject. Frustration ensues if the beginner has to dig core concepts out of a mass of details, yet it is critical that if a topic ignites your interest, it is easy to obtain more detailed and supplementary information. The non-linear nature of hypertext provides at least the potential for overcoming this problem. For many subjects, textbooks are out of date by the time they are published. As a consequence, textbooks are typically devoid of discussion on topics of major current interest. If maintained, a web-based hypertext can be as up to date as desired. In this hypertext, you can easily determine the most recent date of revision by looking at the bottom of each page. Paper and ink books are not interactive and are "unimedia" in nature. Web-based content can include animations, sound, online tests, and executable programs which undoubtedly can enhance learning. Unlike a paper and ink textbook, this hypertext doesn't have to be carried around and can be viewed from any computer that can access the internet. The dark side of this situation, of course, is that unless you have a cellular modem or satellite transceiver, you can't view the hypertext while camping or on the beach. A final, very important point. It is often difficult to anticipate what is confusing or what topics might be of particular interest or importance to a particular person. Please take the opportunity to provide the authors with constructive criticism and suggestions on improving this work. Its very easy to do: at the bottom of each page is a electronic mail link for this use and, if your browser or computer is not email-enabled, a link to an online form which can also be used to transmit comments.

Last updated on July 5, 2000

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