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h3.  Getting Yourself Ready to Understand Modeling Applied to Problem Solving    [!copyright and waiver^SectionEdit.png!|Page Name Goes Here]
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h4. Learning Objectives

By the end of this Lesson, you should be able to:
* Describe the strategy behind the letters S.I.M. 
* Know roughly what elements constitute a model used for representing the core concepts of mechanics.
* Explain why you have to be actively involved in the process of learning to apply modeling to solve problems.

Learning Newtonian Mechanics well enough to find answers to questions that are real [problems|problem] for you requires you to be an active participant in constructing your own knowledge and skill.  If your previous study of physics may led you to believe that solving physics problems involves mainly plugging in the right formula, you may need to review the difference between [problems and exercises|problems vs Exercises].

If you think just memorizing things (e.g. definitions, formulae...) is enough,  to enable you to solve real problems, read the section immediately below; if you already realize you have to do more than memorize, then skip it:
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