Advice to beginners

It will be appreciated that the present document, long though it is, has drawn attention to only a small proportion of the data-input facilities open to the PLANT user.

Even that small proportion can be appreciated by the beginner only if he gains practical experience: and since it is desirable that his earliest experience should be successful, he is here advised to deviate only by small steps from what has been presented above.

Specifically, the beginner is advised:-

1. To use the simple examples first;
2. To run many of the library examples as they stand before making changes to the input data;
3. When he starts to plant formulae which will affect the actual calculation, to confine these at first to numerical and auxiliary parameters, such as RG's, the values of RESREF, and the grid ratios;
4. To plant physically-significant formulae only one at a time;
5. After each setting of formulae to examine and understand the resulting changes in the output and
6. To read and re-read present document.

Of course, each individual has his own style of learning; and some are bolder (and less prone to discouragement by failures) than those for whom the above advice is designed. There is certainly no necessity to proceed as circumspectly as has been suggested. The main thing is to get started.