Ask HN: Computer Science for the mathematically challenged?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3179601

by superuser2 • 15 years ago

9 4 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I love programming. I began with AppleScript in elementary school and progressed through PHP to Ruby and eventually Python. I've dabbled in Haskell. When I find the time and energy, I work through Project Euler puzzles and MIT Intro to Computer Science and Programming on OpenCourseWare. I want to make this my career. MIT has been my dream since early childhood.

And I'm terrible at math. My brain doesn't process numbers or shapes very will, and in algebra, I tend to make silly mistakes. As a result, I am not in the highest "normal" math track for juniors, but in a slightly easier (not remedial, but not advanced) course and earning straight A-minuses and B-pluses. It's been like this since elementary school. This doesn't seem to bode well for acceptance to a high-quality computer science program.

I don't believe this hurts my ability to program. My abstract reasoning skills tend to be exceptionally sharp; I enjoy and succeed (A to A- level) in AP Chemistry and take an honors english course. I can model a complex system in my head and figure out what it entails. I can see processes and how they can be improved. And, from my time on HN and Wikipedia and ceaseless questioning as a young child of my dad (a news editor with an encyclopedic knowledge of pretty much everything) I am familiar with a fair amount of information, giving my classmates the impression that I am "smart."

But the B+ in precalculus disagrees. What gives? Is there something I can do to get better at math? Am I just not working hard enough? Or do I need to reconsider my identity as a programmer?

tshtf• 15 years ago

I wouldn't worry. At the university level, it really only becomes "math" once you finish calculus. At those levels, it's entirely about abstract reasoning and much less about repetitive arithmetic.

exicer• 15 years ago

I had a very bad experience with maths when I was younger, generally doing very badly and as such taking the sensible option of hating it. I even dropped my study of maths at A level, in spite of my huge love of Physics and desire to study it at University.

I was eventually convinced that I really should take maths, so after a year out I did. I personally found the difference in the topics being studied to be drastic. No longer tedious mental arithmetic and boring calculation, but far more interesting things like calculus and mechanics! I suddenly found that things made sense, which had rarely been the case before. Perhaps you have a similar issue, and find calculation difficult?

I, like you, find that I make very many "silly" mistakes. This is something that continues to plague me. I have developed techniques to compensate for these weaknesses, so while it might take me longer to go through the "grunt work" of solving a problem, I can quite happily end up with the right result. I suppose my point is, while it is not an advantage, it doesn't have to be too great of a disadvantage!

I have also been diagnosed as dyslexic, though I don't really know how true that is. Perhaps this is something you might look in to.

jasondrowley• 15 years ago

For what it's worth, I too am a mathematically-challenged person, except I'm in the beginning stages of learning to program. Predictably, it's an uphill battle.

You said MIT is your dream: presumably you want to go there for computer science. I'm a student at UChicago, minoring in computer science. Depending on which school you go to/end up at, you'll realize that there are a number of different approaches to teaching CS.

UChicago's CS program is basically an applied mathematics major with some theoretical content thrown in in kind of an ad hoc manner. Let me tell you, it's not the best place to go if you want to learn how to build things, nor how things are built. It's really good for math geeks. (I use the term "geek" affectionately here.)

My advice should be taken with a grain of salt, but you might consider CS degree programs which focus more on software engineering and practical applications of computer science, than on comp. sci. itself. But again, the scope, requirements and course offerings of computer science programs vary greatly between institutions.

Good luck with MIT!

vonsydov• 15 years ago

how good are you at reading highly technical science papers ?

Ask HN: Computer Science for the mathematically challenged?

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