Math

[Xemion]

Hi,

I'm a 10th grader. I'm very interested in becoming a computer programmer. What I need to know is, what type of math do I need know? I'm currently in Advanced Math, that's Algebra III, Trig, Geomotry. Do I need to know this (I don't have to do it for school :-)? Do I need calculus, physics? What?

Thanks for the help!

Xemion

[Michael Nattfalk]

Hi.

I kind of recognize myself from when I was in school. I sort-of hated the maths. But the thing is, it mostly depends on what kind of programming you want to work with. If you, for example, want to work with 3D games programming, then geometry, physics, trig. etc. is very important to know to be able to do nice engines. Working with, for example, some kind of register application probably doesn't need almost any maths at all.

Try to figure out what aspect of programming you want to work with, then it's quite easy to know if you need advanced maths or not.
Do though keep in mind that even if you don't think you will need the knowledge, there may come a day when you want to try a new area within programming, where the maths is needed. Maths is after all, a big thing within programming. I ended up in this situation myself a couple of years ago, and had to bring up my old math-books from school again. It would have been easier if I wouldn't have skipped the math-lessons is school. ;)

regards,
Michael

[Xemion]

Michael,

Ok, physics, geometry and...trig? I hate trig :-) Does anybody else have any comments or help? Thanks!

Xemion

[kazooie21]

Well, it depends on what kind of programming you go into. Visual Basic doesn't use a lot of math because it's an OOP (Object Oriented Programming) and a GUI(graphic user interface) I'm in a Visual Basic class and have only taken College Algebra for my math. I'm doing fine. I'm just having problems with learning some of the coding procedures.
If you don't need a lot of math for Visual Basic, I bet you don't need a whole lot for C++. Afterall, C++ is just Advanced Visual Basic afterall.
You don't really need anything above College Algebra. You could take Finite Math.
I'm attending a junior college and they offer certificates in programming. You have to take one class of each type of programming (excluding Fortran). A certificate doesn't require you to take any math classes. You can get a job with a certificate. I also got an Associate Degree in English, just in case.
I'm sure it's different if you're planning to attend a 4-year university without transferring from a junior college.

kazooie21

[Xemion]

Thanks Kazooie! BTW, what exactly is College Algebra? Right now I'm in advanced mathematics. That's Algebra III, Trig, Geo. Is that the same as College Algebra? I don't really understand the terms because the mathbook publishers call the books by different names. Thanks!



Xemion

If you are already taking all that you are doing fine.
I do not really think you need to know more math than you already know to
program.
What you will have to figure out is what you want to program.
Let's say you want to program something that has rendering (games,graphs,etc) then it is an extremely good idea to know trig and matrix algebra (at least).
If you want to do programming for a bank, and you want to calculate repayments, loans, etc then you may not need trig (which doesn't mean it is not a good idea to learn about it) and algebra may be enough.
Now, let me give you some advice. The more tools you have the easier it is to solve problems in a creative and effective manner. I am sure most everybody can find the area of their property by griding it but using geometry is much faster and efficient. Same in compuer programming, you may be able to tackle any problem with additions and substractions but why?.

Learning math is never a waste of time, you are investing wisely.

[kazooie21]

College Algebra is required for all college freshman, no matter their major. Since you're only a sophomore, I gather that you'll be taking PreCalculus next year and Calculus your senior year.From what you told me you could possibly place out of College Algebra and Trig(college) and go straight to Calculus I. This is different from high school Calculus.

kazooie21

[Gary Grant]

Depending on the type of application you are writing will depend on the type of math you will have to use. Most business applications very seldom go beyond beginning/intermediate algebra with some statistical equations. An aerospace firm could have you doing some very advanced math routines.

Games: algebra, trig, vector.
Business: algebra, statistics
Engineering: all of the above with calculus and physics.
Other: what ever.

Be advised the description of C++ as an advanced form of Visual Basic is untrue. They are entirely different languages with different strengths and weaknesses. Also describing Visual Basic as an Object Oriented Programming language can cause some flames from the OOP purists and start a relious war. As a suggestion (and an aside) never allow yourself be drawn into a discussion of which language is better and which is OOP.

[Ravi Kiran]

Any day. Maths will improve your brains!, and what's what is required for Programing:-)

RK

[Sky1000]

College Algebra is basically the same as Advanced High School Algebra, except there is a better looking girl sitting in front of you. If you are planning to persue a college degree, just get a catalog from a compatible university. You don't really get to anything tough until Calculus. Basically, even if you do not apply your advanced math knowledge, you are learning to solve complex problems.
As far as VB is concerned, it's not really a strict Object Oriented Programming language, it's more of a Component Oriented Programming Language.

Sky1000

I suggest that you take as many math classes as you can. How far you want to advance depends on which college you plan on attending. I know that here in California the UC system expects you to reach an intermediate Calculus level before you can transfer into a UC from a 2yr community college. I myself will be taking Linear Algebra, Calculus 2(multivariable calculus), and Discrete Mathematics before I transfer into a UC. So if you have time you should go a library and try to read through a few college catalogues. You will be able to see what kinds of classes a computer science major will have to take in order to complete a degree. The course descriptions give you a clear description of the subjects taught for each particular course. If you study those subjects before you take the class you will be ahead of the game.

Good luck...