Differentiable Curves

The first three sections of this chapter contain the basics on curves, and, because of their brevity, are rather a review of concepts and results, gathered in a form we will use later; in the last five sections we will deal with subjects whose inclusion in the course is optional. Section 1.5 should be read before 1.6 and 1.7, but otherwise, and except for a few exercises, sections 1.4 – 1.8 are independent of each other.