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From: gds@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU (Greg Skinner)
Newsgroups: net.cse
Subject: Re: Math and CS
Message-ID: <1268@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU>
Date: Thu, 13-Mar-86 16:46:26 EST
Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.1268
Posted: Thu Mar 13 16:46:26 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Mar-86 03:15:26 EST
References: <256@hropus.UUCP> <6400005@ccvaxa> <77@umcp-cs.UUCP> <17@unmg.UUCP>
Organization: MIT Lusers and Hosers Inc., Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 43
Keywords: calculus


As to the obviousness of calculus -- I can see one area which would
give some people trouble -- limits.  If calculus was to be more to you
than just a mass of formulas and exercises (like doing determinants)
than you must have some appreciation for the concept of a limit.  I
never had the chance to ask some of my hacker friends about their
experiences with limits -- after all, the concept is not algorithmic
in nature.  But then again, most of P & S is not either, and I have
seen hackers come out of P & S with more success than calculus.  I
don't recall having any trouble with limits -- I believed the pictures
of the delta-y/delta-x graphs, the rate of change physics problems,
and the Riemann integral pictures.  After you get through all that it
is just a matter of setting up the integrals or derivatives properly
for the problem.  As I stop to think abut it though, this is also not
algorithmic in nature, since it involves some spatial reasoning.

In one of my previous postings, I alluded to the fact that hackers
ought to be able to grind out class assignments quickly.  I did not
mean to say that.  What I meant was more along the lines of "since
you're applying those techniques to your pet projects anyway, why not
do it just for some class?"  But you are right -- it does take time and
energy.  I recall that in one of my courses "software enginering", up
to 40% of the grade was on testing and documentation.  Usually it took
over 50% of my time to come up with a set of tests for my projects,
defend why the tests were sufficient to "prove" the correctness of my
code, and document all that stuff.  One good thing came out of all
that -- I did become disciplined in how to track down bugs or other
potential problems, and how to code to check for unusual situations.
I would have rathered work on side projects than do all that testing
and documentation but I don't think it was all for naught.

One more thing -- the areas of linear algebra that deal with vector
spaces, rank, nullity, etc., I do not consider that "alegbra" in the
same sense that I consider group theory, field theory, isomorphisms,
etc. to be algebra.  I much preferred tha "algebra" in linear algebra.
I don't suppose those other portions of linear algebra could be
considered geometry?
-- 
It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under.

Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{decvax!genrad, allegra, gatech, ihnp4}!mit-eddie!gds
gds@eddie.mit.edu