[thechat] maths /programming

[Sean G.]

WHAAT??!!??

Calculus is one of the most relevant to the real world things you can study.  Want to catch a ball in mid-flight?  Want to calculate
how long to cook a 2-lb roast at 350 F to get medium-rare?  Want to see if the spool of speaker wire you just picked up is really 50
feet without unspooling it?  That's calculus baby.  (Of course I may be biased--I took enough Math courses to fill out my schedule
in college, I ended up with a double major, and actually finished with more credits in Math than my original major (Chemistry).)

As far as relevance of Math to programming, we've all taken a different path.  One of the best system programmers I know was a CS
major who absolutely stunk at anything approaching theoretical math or logic.  But he can pick up a new language in a weekend and
code circles around a cheetah.  And the big IT stud at my current employer was in the funeral home business for many years and got
into programming through an idea for online guest books so people at a funeral could see the thoughts and memories of people who
couldn't be there in person.

I don't consider myself a programmer, but I manage to put my analytical background to work by breaking down any problem into a
series of small, generally trivial exercises and solving one at a time.

I approach code like I would a mathematical proof, while others approach it as writing prose in a language with very particular
grammar.  As long as the final product meets spec and the checks clear, what's the difference?  =)


Sean G.

"Let's play 10-strike kickball."

-----Original Message-----
Lachlan Cannon wrote:
>
> How many of the programmers on this list are also good at maths?

Not me -- not at all. My inability/disinclination to grapple with
calculus led to my first (involuntary) exit from Higher Learning,
Institution Of  :-)

I mean, calculus?? Talk about a lack of relevance to anything in
the real world. Sit in classroom bored to tears, or go surfing --
yeah, tough decision.