BLU Discuss list archive
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- Subject: [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- From: jabr at blu.org (John Abreau)
- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2015 12:20:36 -0400
- In-reply-to: <CAJFsZ=rxwnHGeTxcHXeeB7_eYR6jUanBkOm8GwryJ7QSVKxJzA@mail.gmail.com>
- References: <Pine.NEB.4.64.1504071109270.27385@panix3.panix.com> <CAAbKA3Uw-Z6Tg=003zpR4uChp5fsP1T+tB7AGoduwJCPskyQXQ@mail.gmail.com> <20150413174401.GA10346@dragontoe.org> <CAJFsZ=pMZE1wQKj+2s7vkHiuT7DvKoWNLRiAa12o4=ewWjzazw@mail.gmail.com> <552C61C5.4070905@gmail.com> <CAJFsZ=rxwnHGeTxcHXeeB7_eYR6jUanBkOm8GwryJ7QSVKxJzA@mail.gmail.com>
On Tue, Apr 14, 2015 at 2:38 AM, Bill Bogstad <bogstad at pobox.com> wrote: > I will state it again. YES, Calculus is good. It stretches your > mind. The specific > things it teaches you may or may not be relevant to what you plan to > do. Other branches > of mathematics also stretch your mind, they may be more relevant. Is > it really so hard > to accept the theoretical possibility that the above might be true? > Not for all people/but for some. > As I recall, all the math classes I took before calculus could essentially be summarized as "here's a bunch of magic formulas to solve various problems. Memorize them and learn when to use each of them". Then calculus explained in detail how those formulas were derived. They were no longer magic. Calculus is the key to truly understanding mathematics in depth. Those other "alternatives", like Probability, would be nothing more than another set of memorized magic in the absence of calculus. There's a qualitative difference between understanding a problem in depth, and merely following a set of formulas that you've memorized but that you don't really understand. -- John Abreau / Executive Director, Boston Linux & Unix Email jabr at blu.org / WWW http://www.abreau.net / PGP-Key-ID 0x920063C6 PGP-Key-Fingerprint A5AD 6BE1 FEFE 8E4F 5C23 C2D0 E885 E17C 9200 63C6
- Follow-Ups:
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- From: gaf at blu.org (Jerry Feldman)
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- From: dbarrett at blazemonger.com (Daniel Barrett)
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- References:
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- From: sronan at panix.com (Stephen Ronan)
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- From: bill.n1vux at gmail.com (Bill Ricker)
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- From: invalid at pizzashack.org (Derek Martin)
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- From: bogstad at pobox.com (Bill Bogstad)
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- From: richard.pieri at gmail.com (Richard Pieri)
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- From: bogstad at pobox.com (Bill Bogstad)
- [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- Prev by Date: [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- Next by Date: [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- Previous by thread: [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- Next by thread: [Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?
- Index(es):