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Ask Slashdot: How Important Is Advanced Math In a CS Degree?

Posted by Soulskill on from the math-is-easy-for-most-people,-they-just-don't-know-it dept.

AvailableNickname writes "I am currently pursuing a bachelor's in CompSci and I just spent three hours working on a few differential equations for homework. It is very frustrating because I just don't grok advanced math. I can sort of understand a little bit, but I really don't grok anything beyond long division. But I love computers, and am very good at them. However, nobody in the workforce is even going to glance at my direction without a BSc. And to punish me for going into a field originally developed by mathematicians I need to learn all this crap. If I had understood what I was doing, maybe I wouldn't mind so much. But the double frustration of not understanding it and not understanding why the heck I need to do it is too much. So, how important is it?"

3 of 656 comments (clear)

  1. Re:depends on what you're going into by JBMcB · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you're developing business software you're going to need stats. It's inevitably going to rear it's ugly head sooner or later.

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    My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
  2. Re:depends on what you're going into by FilmedInNoir · · Score: 5, Informative

    Advanced calculus/linear algebra is a must for game engine development. I try to read articles about rotating 3D objects.... *WHOOSH* over my head. But I've done well for 13 years doing IT client/server programming and just looking up the occasional algorithm for lat/long distance calculations, permutations, etc. Still need to be able to translate math formulae into a computer language though.

    --
    Sig. Sig. Sputnik
  3. Re:depends on what you're going into by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Differential equations - control theory and anything that brings you in contact with engineers (or if you want to work in finance)
    Linear algebra - signal processing, computer graphics (don't even think about doing computer graphics without knowing linear algebra)
    Logic - system modeling and software verification, and basically everything else
    Calculus, discrete mathematics - high performance computing, simulation, communication, anything that brings you in contact with physicists