Programming vs. Mathematics

[WingedPanther]

I tend to trace the birth of computing back to two men: Turing and Babbage: both mathematicians. Do with it what you will

[chili5]

So mostly the math is more involved in the theory behind the programming?

I've made several programs and I don't remember using any math in them.

[TcM]

Well Math IS used in programs, but you CAN make programs without any use of Math

[chili5]

I figured out in math today, sort of how the random number thing works.

I was also wondering why we multiplied 0 by some number and added 1 now I know lol

[Maurice_Z]

Both of course. Especially that the part of programming I work with, ie Game Making, quite much uses Geometry which is Math. And Sines and Cosines are like my best friends ^^

[chili5]

so all this stuff that i'm doing with linear systems and verifying geometric properties, is it actually going to be useful if i get into programming?

[Maurice_Z]

Wel, I mostly use geometry to determine if objects collide. Not so high-level "Art" :P. So not sure.

[chili5]

Later in my course, where doing trigonometry, I might as well ask is that gonna be helpful?

[G_Morgan]

Originally Posted by chili5

So mostly the math is more involved in the theory behind the programming?

I've made several programs and I don't remember using any math in them.

It's worth remembering that maths means far more than fiddling numeric calculations. This is usually the most common mistake made when people say "I didn't see any mathematics". The entire concept of function comes from maths to begin with. You can consider programming to be a means of combination and closure of/over a series of axioms (primitive functions and control structures). In that sense it is very mathematical.

Of course an interesting view point is that CS is the continuation of what maths was before it became obsessed with proof after WW2. Before that maths was more interested in solutions than proofs (which is why it was historically considered a science). Modern maths is very different to this old maths though and really it's the more modern type that is interesting (i.e. it meant far less when someone could write a relationship, show it to be correct for 100 data points and consider it to be done).

[gaylo565]

I am currently studying for my masters in math and I prefer pure math, but both are extremely interesting to me. Many of the applications for the math which I study are directly aimed at solving computer programming issues. Being an amateur programmer I can say that the math was what initially interested me in programming, and being proficient in math has made the learning curve for programming a little more favorable for me. The two go hand in hand and programming relies heavily on mathematics. Game programming is a great example in which matrices and vector functions are used for describing object movements or coordinate transformations.