Experiments when reading The Art of Computer Programming
Think beyond what is written. The text is concise. Perhaps the author did it this way to encourage reader thinking.
Skim when needed, and get back when necessary.
It is probably preferable, for motivation, to skim over this section lightly at first, and (after seeing numerous applications of the techniques in future chapters) return to it later for more intensive study. If too much time is spent studying this material when first reading the book, a person might never get on to the computer programming topics!