Do you think math people are the best programmers?
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MATHS surely? The subject is MathematicS, a plural.
--------------------------------- 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[^] English League Tables - Live
what's a mathematic?
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
Well you cherry picked a nice example there. Meanwhile in the real world, there are plenty of mathematicians who can't program (or not well) and plenty of good programmers who didn't study maths. I have a a different theory: people who would have made good programmers were likely to study maths before computer science as a separate study was invented. edit: with that I don't mean to say that all good programmers have studied CS, just that the more theoretical guys have a study of their own now.
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
You're theory is incorrect and I don't trust you: why would I? I don't know you. In any case, it's a simple matter to prove that mathematicians are the very worst programmers. Here is the proof: a = b a^2 = ab a^2 - b^2 = ab - b^2 (a - b)(a + b) = b(a - b) a + b = b b + b = b 2b = b 2 = 1 Since that proves that 2 = 1, which is plainly incorrect, it further proves that mathematicians are stupid, dull and boring people without a brain cell between them. Let me prove that as well... :-)
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
No, I'm horrible at math. And I'm saddened that you didn't include Alan Turing in your list. Someone who is good at math may be better suited to some types of programming domain, but I doubt that such an animal would be superior at writing something like a hotel reservation system for instance.
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You're theory is incorrect and I don't trust you: why would I? I don't know you. In any case, it's a simple matter to prove that mathematicians are the very worst programmers. Here is the proof: a = b a^2 = ab a^2 - b^2 = ab - b^2 (a - b)(a + b) = b(a - b) a + b = b b + b = b 2b = b 2 = 1 Since that proves that 2 = 1, which is plainly incorrect, it further proves that mathematicians are stupid, dull and boring people without a brain cell between them. Let me prove that as well... :-)
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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You're theory is incorrect and I don't trust you: why would I? I don't know you. In any case, it's a simple matter to prove that mathematicians are the very worst programmers. Here is the proof: a = b a^2 = ab a^2 - b^2 = ab - b^2 (a - b)(a + b) = b(a - b) a + b = b b + b = b 2b = b 2 = 1 Since that proves that 2 = 1, which is plainly incorrect, it further proves that mathematicians are stupid, dull and boring people without a brain cell between them. Let me prove that as well... :-)
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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mark merrens wrote:
Since that proves that 2 = 1
Except you divided by zero to get the result (step 4, if a = b then a - b = 0), which is not a valid step.
Well, it wouldn't be amusing if it were correct, now would it?
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
innuendoreplay wrote:
i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...
I have a theory...looking at the superstars of any vocation says nothing at all about the general population participating in that vocation. I also have another theory...generalizations based on categorizations that are huge are probably always wrong because general probability theory as applied to humans (along with standard error ranges) will completely erase any real difference.
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Well, it wouldn't be amusing if it were correct, now would it?
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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Well, maybe i disagree when you mention that some people who know math can't code... i think in general cases that people who know math can code better than people who studio computer systems engineering (maybe because they know better the abstraction of the things).
innuendoreplay wrote:
people who know math can code better
Maybe in a purely mathematical situation (in Fortran perhaps), but probably not in an event-driven UI type of situation.
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
There was a lengthy discussion about the importance of maths to programmers some time ago. Here[^] Some interesting points raised in it, although from what I remember (that I was arguing) it was more about a mathematical mind than formal studying of the subject.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends. Shed Petition[^]
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
I have both EE and Math degrees and they have served me well for my 40+ year programming career - but I have done mostly embedded and real-time data capture / analysis. The EE degree has helped me understand the interaction between hardware and software and the Math degree has helped me to develop efficient algorithms that fit in small memory spaces with slow processors. I started off with DEC PDP-11 mini computers that had 32K of RAM (core) and < 20MHz clock in the mid '70s and my last project was using a TI uP with 32K (Flash + RAM) and 16MHz clock last month - 40 years and not that much has changed except the cost (PDP-11 > $50K, TI uP board < $100) :sigh: If I had gone the web or business applications route, neither would have been any help.
Steve _________________ I C(++) therefore I am
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
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No, I'm horrible at math. And I'm saddened that you didn't include Alan Turing in your list. Someone who is good at math may be better suited to some types of programming domain, but I doubt that such an animal would be superior at writing something like a hotel reservation system for instance.
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
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I disagree, it would be much more amusing if it was correct, because it would show a real flaw in our mathematics.
I think you may have missed the point. Let me prove it to you...
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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No, I'm horrible at math. And I'm saddened that you didn't include Alan Turing in your list. Someone who is good at math may be better suited to some types of programming domain, but I doubt that such an animal would be superior at writing something like a hotel reservation system for instance.
Well Alan Turing was a Math guy, the list is big to mention all (don't forget the google guy's, etc).
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I have both EE and Math degrees and they have served me well for my 40+ year programming career - but I have done mostly embedded and real-time data capture / analysis. The EE degree has helped me understand the interaction between hardware and software and the Math degree has helped me to develop efficient algorithms that fit in small memory spaces with slow processors. I started off with DEC PDP-11 mini computers that had 32K of RAM (core) and < 20MHz clock in the mid '70s and my last project was using a TI uP with 32K (Flash + RAM) and 16MHz clock last month - 40 years and not that much has changed except the cost (PDP-11 > $50K, TI uP board < $100) :sigh: If I had gone the web or business applications route, neither would have been any help.
Steve _________________ I C(++) therefore I am
Oh! this is just like i want to read! jeje =P you mention than have 40+ years programming career and the web or business applications don't receive help for EE and Math degree. I think that you must have and excellent logic math and compression of abstracts terms but why is so difficult to implement any idea?
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
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Hi, i have a theory...that is that people with math studies are the best in the programming field (if you don't trust me, check Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustup, Alan Kay, etc)...what is your opinions about this? Is convenient study math books instead of programming books?
Quite simply, the best programmers are programmers. I've *never* worked with a mathematician who was a great programmer, but I have met plenty of programmers who were great at maths. If people are primarily interested in programming, that's what makes them good. If they are primarily interested in Maths or Engineering or Art, then they will be (by definition) less interested in programming and therefore less good at it than they could be. Historically computing was used primarily for mathematical problem solving, so of course it involved a lot of maths and mathematicians. The names you quote are ancient history in the computing world. But we are increasingly standing on the shoulders of giants. We don't need to be able to calculate a fourier transform on paper in order to be capable of *using* an FFT in our programs. We can write a physics-based game with no ability to do physics calulations on paper. We can produce a website with complex financial graphs without having a degree in statistics. We have tools (libraries), and we need only understand how and when to use them, not how to build them from scratch.