Xref: utzoo soc.college:4924 comp.edu:3113 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!hub!henri!doner From: doner@henri.ucsb.edu (John Doner) Newsgroups: soc.college,comp.edu Subject: Re: CS & Math Requisites (was: MIT Intro. classes) Keywords: math, knuth, cs Message-ID: <4388@hub.UUCP> Date: 21 Mar 90 01:11:40 GMT References: <22650@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <1990Mar5.201030.20500@athena.mit.edu> <31845@brunix.UUCP> <14482@s.ms.uky.edu> <15450@wsucsa.uucp> <4932692a.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> Sender: news@hub.UUCP Reply-To: doner@henri.UUCP (John Doner) Distribution: usa Organization: University of California, Santa Barbara Lines: 40 In article <4932692a.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> burati@apollo.COM (Mike Burati) writes: >So, what's my point??? There should be more cooperation between CS & MATH depts >to make requirements that fit what you need to know (don't get rid of requirements, >just make sure they teach you what you really need...). A knowledge on the >math depts side of what CS was going to do with the math would help both in how >they teach it, *and* in getting students interested in learning it... I would >have been much more interested in uv coord systems, surface intersection equations... >if I had realized how much I was going to need it later on for graphics. >If anybody of authority at *any* cs or math dept is listening, I'd strongly >suggest looking into Knuth's Concrete Mathematics course. Many of us mathematicians are aware of the general problem discussed by Mr. Burati and others: The content of the typical mathematics courses they are required to take for a cs major is not completely appropriate to their needs, and the mathematicians teaching them are often unaware of the applications to which the material may eventually be put. Concerning the first point, the problem is basically that we have to use the same calculus courses to satisfy every major---we don't give a calculus for computer scientists, for example---and so we run the risk of really satisfying no one. I'm opposed to special versions of the courses directed to this or that major, on the grounds that it forces students to commit themselves to a particular major too early in their education. We do give some introductory courses on discrete mathematics, but here again they have to serve diverse needs and so don't seem quite right for any one of them. In summary, we have to cram too much into too few courses, and nobody is happy with the result. The course content of the basic calculus sequence does evolve, but at a glacial pace. Eventually, I believe it will include more material on discrete mathematics and even computer-oriented applications. But it will take lots of time, because we have first to figure out what can be omitted to make room for the new material. John E. Doner | "The beginner...should not be discouraged if...he Mathematics, UCSB | finds that he does not have the prerequisites for Santa Barbara, CA 93106| reading the prerequisites." doner@henri.ucsb.edu | --Paul Halmos, Measure Theory