<p>i got into UCSD engineering in computer science and i'm just wondering if its hard? does it contain hardcore math? cuase if it doesn't im going to switch majors........</p>
<p>I rarely see my comp sci friends doing a lot of work.... From my impressions of it, it's not easy, but it's not as hard as engineering.</p>
<p>Wait...are you thinking about switching because it's too hard, or not hard enough?</p>
<p>RugBurn,</p>
<p>He said he applied and got accepted as a computer science major. When he gets there, he'll switch if he finds it too hard.</p>
<p>Here's your curriculum, assuming a B.S.C.S.</p>
<p>You'll have to do the digging for the actual course descriptions since they list them only by number, but you can expect statistics, differential equations, linear algebra, etc.</p>
<p>Is CS the hardest subject out there? No, but it's still challenging for all but the most gifted (even then, I think they hide it). :-)</p>
<p>thanks, hey if comp sci isn't the hardest then what is ? =-D</p>
<p>I'd say Computer Science is inherently difficult.</p>
<p>
[quote]
thanks, hey if comp sci isn't the hardest then what is ?
[/quote]
Underwater basketweaving. Don't believe me? Go try it. :-P</p>
<p>Indeed, CS is "inherently difficult." But which part(s)? The theory? The technical details? The big picture? There are many facets to the subject, and which ones prove more difficult depends on the person asking the question.</p>
<p>I would personally say that Physics is the hardest major, with perhaps Mathematics a close 2nd.</p>
<p>^do you think its the hardest overall for everyone, or just the hardest for you? Nevermind, thats probably why you said "personally"...</p>
<p>i hope i find a good job.. lol !
i hope comp sci works out well for me</p>
<p>thanks guys!</p>
<p>Computer science programming sounds interesting after reading Michael Chrichton's Prey. Can any actual computer programmer/ engineer tell me how much of the information in that novel is factual?</p>
<p>I would... but I haven't read it. Can you give an example?</p>
<p>He says that algorithms or programming for stuff like airplane takeoffs/landings are based on patterns of animals or something..bees? He mentions something about natural language programming (what is natural language, exactly?). Another example I can think off is making programs based on how ants dig stuff and carry food..If thats not the clearest picture...I don't have the book with me right now :/</p>
<p>Well, I don't know if the specifics mentioned in the novel are accurate, but the concepts are at least based in reality.</p>
<p>Your first example, airplane maneuvering, involves modeling the movement of objects within a 3-D space, collision avoidance, and possibly genetic algorithms. Lydia</a> Kavraki, a professor at Rice University where I got my bachelor's, is well-known in "physical computing" which is the area that covers this example.</p>
<p>"Natural language" is what it sounds like... language that comes naturally. Take any spoken language. "Set 'x' to the sum of three and five," would be the instruction in English, whereas many programming (non-natural) languages express this as "x = 3+5." The challenge with natural languages is that they're very complicated; computer languages have very simple and strict grammar. To give an English example, "I do not understand," might be an acceptable phrase while, "I gots no clue what comin' out yo' mouth," would be an error. Yet, either phrase could be acceptable in full natual-language processing -- what has to happen if computers are to ever understand what we mean beyond simple pre-concieved, pre-programmed ideas.</p>
<p>Both are interesting fields and only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to areas currently affected by or partnering with computer science.</p>
<p>CS is pretty hard. See if you like it as first by diving into C++/C. Learn it online, make a few programs. Understand major concepts like pointers, recursions, functions..etc. People generally say that if yo do well in the lower div CS classes such as C programming, then you will do well in CS. Though much of the higher div CS classes are on theory and stuff...</p>
<p>Computer Science is hard if you're not used to thinking recursively and functionally in regards to problem-solving (most people think iteratively and procedurally when solving day-to-day problems). Also, yes, it contains hardcore mathematics: not calculus per se, but discrete math, proofs of correctness, efficiency-optimization and linear algebra for graphics. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>But iterative and procedural programming is necessary, too! There's no magic key to being able to figure out computer science. And I really don't like the idea that you should base a decision on whether or not you understand C/C++ from an online tutorial.</p>
<p>CS is about solving problems. CS is about taking a complicated process and breaking it down into components that are easier to understand, then breaking THOSE down into smaller components still, until you get to a point where you start writing code to do those small tasks, then more code to hook them together, and so-on until you have achieved that complicated process.</p>
<p>Sometimes that process involves a lot of math. Sometimes it's simply keeping track of a state machine (i.e. from where I am now, what actions are valid). Personally, I find that being able to see "the big picture" of a problem and having the ability to see where you can break it down into subparts is much more valuable in CS than it is to be a linear algebra whiz, etc.</p>
<p>And as for what language you use? It's pretty much irrelevant. You have to understand the problem and what to do -- that's the key -- the language is just a tool.</p>
<p>wrprice described that perfectly</p>
<p>I learned all of those "traits" from computer science/programming as opposed to having that ability and then extending it to writing code and solving problems. I think it would definately be easier if you had some background in this type of problem solving or are a very creative person but it is still something that can be learned with a little work.</p>
<p>I can't elaborate much on the math since I have not gotten to those levels, but I assume its much of the same.</p>
<p>wrprice did state that nicely.</p>
<p>As to the basic question on whether computer science is hard, the answer is, as usual, it depends. I know people to whom the basic concepts of computer science come quite naturally and get by the stuff that frustrates most beginners barely breaking a sweat. For them, it only becomes hard because the kind of problems they're trying to solve get harder and harder. Last I checked, we can make it about has hard as anyone would want it to be.</p>
<p>As for the math, I've seen very little of it in my career though most programs require a level of math that's comparable to any engineering program. You might be involved in solving problems that make heavier use of math, and there are branches of computer science that are working on languages where a knowledge of mathematics, particularly proof skills would be vital. </p>
<p>Either way logic is logic and people who are good at math do tend to be better at computer science. As do musicians, of course.</p>