How much knowing math well helps programmer?!
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But what is Art?
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Recently I had a fun discussion with my colleague(he works on algorithms) on this topic, thought you guys would give some insight.
Algebra is important, other than that, general arithmatic is al you need unless you are developing for a very arcane discipline that requires obtuse and cryptic sums.
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]
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Recently I had a fun discussion with my colleague(he works on algorithms) on this topic, thought you guys would give some insight.
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Algebra is important, other than that, general arithmatic is al you need unless you are developing for a very arcane discipline that requires obtuse and cryptic sums.
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] Trolls[^]
Dalek Dave wrote:
unless you are developing for a very arcane discipline that requires obtuse and cryptic sums.
Such as accounting, where very large sums on the Income sheet magically become small ones when moved to the Tax Due sheet.
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Recently I had a fun discussion with my colleague(he works on algorithms) on this topic, thought you guys would give some insight.
Not all area's of math help equally much, and it depends on the kind of program. Linear algebra knowledge is useful when doing 3D graphics but not so much outside of it. Knowledge of bitwise math is useful when optimizing for speed and in low level hardware access, but otherwise not often needed. I've never seen calculus skills being useful, and calculus is IMO best left to Wolfram Alpha, because it makes far fewer mistakes than you would. Personally I've found that when designing algorithms, knowing techniques used in other algorithms is more useful than math.
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Art is overrated. Beside of that is programming a creative workflow. But not much more creative than a craftsmen's job.
regards Torsten I never finish anyth...
TorstenH. wrote:
Art is overrated.
A lot of art certainly is, but I don't think you can dismiss the total artistic output of the human race as overrated.
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But logic is (a subset of) maths.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
I am not sure if you are for or against my comment with that one? However, there are multiple definitions of "Logic" so if you are against me then I meant one of the other ones :laugh:
My opinions are right, and yours are wrong! (or at least that is my opinion)
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Recently I had a fun discussion with my colleague(he works on algorithms) on this topic, thought you guys would give some insight.
About the hardest math I've ever needed was a little simple algebra to place something on the screen in the desired location. I don't consider myself good at math.
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Something you do to make yourself happy and then everyone else argues about whether it is shit or not.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
ChrisElston wrote:
Something you do to make yourself happy and then everyone else argues about whether it is sh*t or not.
Sounds like coding to me. :-D
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
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Mental block or deliberate error[^]?
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
Good eye. He does seem hung up on that word doesn't he?
I may be schizophrenic, but at least I have each other.
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Mental block or deliberate error[^]?
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
I will say that one is deliberate. I have a habit of using that one quite a lot when I mean though - personally I think it does the job so I am happy enough with that. I do tend to make a lot a grammar mistakes similar to this though (2 extra seconds wasted they're :)) and that just comes with typing what I think and not taking time to look back at the context of the words. Knowing how picky you all are over grammar thou, I know that you will all understand exactly what I am trying to say anyway, so proof reading before I post is a waste of time
My opinions are right, and yours are wrong! (or at least that is my opinion)
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TorstenH. wrote:
Art is overrated.
A lot of art certainly is, but I don't think you can dismiss the total artistic output of the human race as overrated.
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Recently I had a fun discussion with my colleague(he works on algorithms) on this topic, thought you guys would give some insight.
Depending on the type of work being performed, math may be very important. Working in a manufacturing environment, I use math every day to: determine the volume of a product produced (massive rolls of paper) determine the volume of a product in a cylinder (natural gas or LPG) Since we are a multi-national company, we are also required to convert between US and Metric systems and be able to report in either. Paper can be measured in pounds per ream (a standard size) or grams per square metre. Understanding the math, and hence the equation, is absolutely required. Tim
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I am not sure if you are for or against my comment with that one? However, there are multiple definitions of "Logic" so if you are against me then I meant one of the other ones :laugh:
My opinions are right, and yours are wrong! (or at least that is my opinion)
You said maths is not required, but logic is. Therefore your comment made no sense. Unless of course you meant philosophical logic rather than mathematical logic. In which case you are lacking in logic because you do not fully understand the argument we are having.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
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Good eye. He does seem hung up on that word doesn't he?
I may be schizophrenic, but at least I have each other.
Yes, I was physically abused with a copy of Hamlet as a child. My shrink says that is the reason I use it so much... I often have to see a shrink in to keep my grammar in check you see
My opinions are right, and yours are wrong! (or at least that is my opinion)
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Dalek Dave wrote:
unless you are developing for a very arcane discipline that requires obtuse and cryptic sums.
Such as accounting, where very large sums on the Income sheet magically become small ones when moved to the Tax Due sheet.
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Recently I had a fun discussion with my colleague(he works on algorithms) on this topic, thought you guys would give some insight.
Aside from the obvious need to understand logic, you need to have a firm grasp of algebra in many cases... Trigonometry and geometry are useful for graphics or game programming, but not that important for anything else. Calculus, you probably don't need, unless you're doing REALLY advanced stuff, like market trading algorithms or maybe some kinds of scientific research... EDIT: Ok, maybe Trig and Geometry have other uses (Seeing Tim's post above mine)... But if you're only using it that infrequently, you can probably just look up the formulas.
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels) -
Recently I had a fun discussion with my colleague(he works on algorithms) on this topic, thought you guys would give some insight.
I think that the most appropiate answer here falls in the category of "depending on the task to be accomplished". :rose:
[www.tamelectromecanica.com] Robots, CNC and PLC machines for grinding and polishing.
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You said maths is not required, but logic is. Therefore your comment made no sense. Unless of course you meant philosophical logic rather than mathematical logic. In which case you are lacking in logic because you do not fully understand the argument we are having.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
I didn't say logic was required. I said it helps, and by that I mean being a logical thinker is a plus. like someone that has good problem solving skills etc. If you mean the AND/OR/NOT etc. logic then that is certainly another plus in some areas of programming
My opinions are right, and yours are wrong! (or at least that is my opinion)
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Recently I had a fun discussion with my colleague(he works on algorithms) on this topic, thought you guys would give some insight.
A good solid understanding of maths - it's shortened from mathematics not mathematic - is a must in anything by the most trivial application. [example: How do you determine a hash code and how will you know if it's good?] You need a good knowledge of logic. Is the decision point in your if statement correct? An understanding of how things work under the hood helps when implementing. A true example, we had to sort a list on the fly as it came in, probably 80-100 items through per minute and it needed to refresh the display. Easy yes? The sort algorythym moved about the values rather than the references and it was pants, a quick index in the middle and sorting was reduced to negligible. Only sorting when refreshing the display was another cheap improvement.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
