Ask Slashdot: How Many of You Actually Use Math? 1086
An anonymous reader writes with a question that makes a good follow-on to the claim that mathematics requirements in U.S. schools unnecessarily limit students' educational choices: "I'm a high school student who is interested in a career in a computer science or game development related position. I've been told by teachers and parents that math classes are a must for any technology related career. I've been dabbling around Unity3D and OGRE for about two years now and have been programming for longer than that, but I've never had to use any math beyond trigonometry (which I took as a Freshman). This makes me wonder: will I actually use calculus and above, or is it just a popular idea that you need to be a mathematician in order to program? What are your experiences?"
How Many of You Actually Use Math? (Score:5, Funny)
How Many of You Actually Use Math?
Last I added it up, three of me.
I misread the headline. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:4, Funny)
How will you ever correctly use the word "orthagonal" in a meeting, and command all credibility, without having taken maths?
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:4, Funny)
Math changes the way you think. It helps abastractization and logical thinking. You can say you don't use it, but you can't say it's useless to learn it.
Honestly though, I think most people who complain about not needing math are a suffering from some kind of inferiority complex. They can't deal with it, so they want to get rid of it.
One thing's for sure (Score:5, Funny)
You won't command much credibility if you can't even spell "orthogonal" right.
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:5, Funny)
I haven't seen any clear way to calculate say an integral using something like c++ or c#.
You are aware that there isn't a clear way to calculate integrals using pencil and paper either?
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:5, Funny)
The answer to your first two questions is universally poorly.
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:2, Funny)
How does your laptop computer calculate remaining battery life?
How does your browser calculate remaining download time?
How does your tablet distinguish between gestures?
Poorly?
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:4, Funny)
How does your laptop computer calculate remaining battery life?
Wildly inaccurate guess.
How does your browser calculate remaining download time?
Roll of the dice.
How does your tablet distinguish between gestures?
Doesn't recognize the bird.
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:5, Funny)
Excellent Pedantry Mr Nemesis.
But what I need from you at the moment is how many are in inventory right now, and can we fill this bulk order today or are we going to have to back order?
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:5, Funny)
It's so it balances out the word "Lego", honestly.
In the UK we have Maths and Lego. You swap the "s" over and have Math and Legos. From either side the other side looks strange and frightening and it makes you wonder how the people on the other side can get through a day while being so WRONG, but seeing as Math(s) and Lego(s) are two of the most wonderful things on Earth I say just accept it and move on.
You got to add a 'u' and silent 'e' (Score:5, Funny)
US: Math
UK: Mauthe
Re:One thing's for sure (Score:5, Funny)
You don't have to be able to spell it in order to say it!
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:2, Funny)
The supply is higher then the demand for open jobs, so they give tough courses to limit the number of grads. (And degrees that don't weed-out students, like English, end up with a lot of degreed students working at Mickey D's.)
I'll bet those English majors wouldn't have used "then" in place of "than." ;-)
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:5, Funny)
That's not true- one way is to plot your curve on the paper (a pencil will do), cut it along the line and weigh it.
Re:Field dependent requirement (Score:3, Funny)
I actually head a bunch of physicists at Los Alamos arguing about whether computer science was a science!
Hmm, good question. A quick comparison:
1. Can it sink a Pacific island?
2. Can it invade alien planets with a fleet of space robots?
3. Can it unleash hordes of zombies on the population of Earth?
Well, our Google datacenters are still working on 1.
Just done 2.
But we've had 3 nailed for quite some time now.
I'd say we're an emerging mad science with plenty of growth potential.