Question

What level of mathematics should one be at for programming?

Answer 1

Less than you might think. You've got to be comfortable with logic and other discrete math topics, but at least to start you don't even need any formal study in them. Intuition will be enough to get you going.

Answer 2

I stopped taking math three years into high school, and not because I was really good at it. I've actually found that when I see math problems in this course it's a lot easier to get my head around them than it was when I saw them in math class. Here I can understand the rationale behind the problem, and that makes it easier to keep the terms straight.

Generally, the math in this course is used to describe things--often specifically to describe the complexity of programs. For me, if I can understand the descriptions of the programs it leads to an understanding of the math.

Answer 3

The answer depends on what kind of programming you want to do. For instance, I do a lot of 3D graphics and physics programming, and a college level math background is required. But in the past I've done things like database access and user interface forms, and no math is required for that. Having said that, I'm a big believer in math training, as it's good for mental discipline.

Answer 4

Thanks guys. I've kept up pretty well with all the mathematical examples used so far. (I'm on lecture 6) I just wanted to make sure it wasn't going to soar past where I can understand. Either way I feel like I need to learn calculus at some point just because I love science so much and I know it would help me get a deeper understanding of how things work.

Answer 5

Yeah, That's a process I've started too. Once I started seeing math as different dialects used to describe relationships between things I started really enjoying it.

Another link I've found useful, if you're trying to do the assignments, is < http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-00-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-fall-2008/calendar/ > It's the course calendar, and it shows when each assignment is 'due.' It's a pretty good indicator of at what points you're supposed to have what skills.