"Where, in the first chapter, did your "lack of basics" manifest?" - in the towers of hanoi, there are several scattered equations(though Knuth starts with basi

"Where, in the first chapter, did your "lack of basics" manifest?" - in the towers of hanoi, there are several scattered equations(though Knuth starts with basics) with mathematical "syntax" that makes me impatient. What makes me 'hallucinated' is that even after I read the clear explanations of Knuth, I can't relate to the math equation just below the para.