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Programming with sub-par math skills?

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PerfectlyDarkTails
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17 Aug 2014, 2:13 pm

I think it depends on the level programming you want to do. High end programming is I assume not as essential as lower end programming.

Algebraic mathamics is a minimum I find, that's the pattern of programming I've used. Otherwise I largely focus on design of software, rather than the programming of it if I did have a software focus. That's where you create the math problems for someone else ;)


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DRzero
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21 Aug 2014, 3:54 am

Funny, I just finished that codeacademy.com course and started the "Learn Python the Hard Way" book. I just attempted to post about it, I was checking to see if I'd actually posted or just previewed it, and I came across your post.

I highly recommend both resources.

L_Holmes wrote:
mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:
So, what's a good way to start learning Python?


codeacadamy.com is a free website for this, it has a whole course you can take and it explains it pretty well. I also found a book called "Learn Python the Hard Way" (apparently that means by repetition of coding to get really good at it), so that could be a good resource as well.


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Hi_Im_B0B
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22 Aug 2014, 2:37 pm

wbport wrote:
If you are writing a program to do number crunching, you are going to have to tell it how to crunch those numbers.

If you don't know algebra that well, discrete math would be very helpful, as well as boolian logic.
yes. you only need to be good at advanced math if you are writing advanced math functions. but these days, you can probably find the ones you need online, and just plug them into your program.



wbport
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22 Aug 2014, 10:20 pm

Hi_Im_B0B wrote:
wbport wrote:
If you are writing a program to do number crunching, you are going to have to tell it how to crunch those numbers.

If you don't know algebra that well, discrete math would be very helpful, as well as boolian logic.
yes. you only need to be good at advanced math if you are writing advanced math functions. but these days, you can probably find the ones you need online, and just plug them into your program.


You will still have to know how to set the problem up or learn what the functions do and how to use them. . . and when.

Edited change: Another point, you will need to know something about how you will solve a problem from the start of the assignment / project. If you want, for example, to create Bingo cards or call a bingo game or solve a knights tour or 8 queens problem, how would you go about it? If one of those got your creative juices flowing, programming might be worthwhile or at least an enjoyable hobby (for me: both). Your boss won't tell you every last thing you need to know about a program--it he did you wouldn't be programming, just transcribing something your boss wrote.