<p>Here is an example of software using math…</p>
<p>Develop algorithms and artificial intelligence software to compile the best possible team for a sports fantasy league team</p>
<p>Here is his product…</p>
<p>[Draft</a> Optimizer > The Algorithm](<a href=“HugeDomains.com”>HugeDomains.com)</p>
<p>Here are the developers (one is a CS person)…</p>
<p>[About</a> Us](<a href=“HugeDomains.com”>HugeDomains.com)</p>
<p>The Computer Science major gives the student a foundation from which to build in the field of computer science and it’s important to know that there’s more to CS than programming. CS is such a wide field that anecdotes from any one person’s particular experience aren’t that significant as a definitive characterization of the entire field although it’s good information to have as one example. </p>
<p>Depending on where one ends up they may or may not use math extensively. If they end up as a programmer in an IT department for example, they might not use a lot of math. However, if they end up working in an R and D area, developing various commercial software applications, etc. in areas such as computer graphics, modeling various things from the genome to chemical compounds to various statistical areas, developing the systems that can guide a UAV, and many other areas, they may end up using math. Even when many programmers end up using libraries that perform some of the functionality, they often need to understand the basics of how those mathematical models work and besides, someone writes the code in the libraries.</p>
<p>One can correlate this with most other majors as well where students learn a lot of foundational items they might or might not end up using on the job depending on whatever job they happen to get.</p>
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Every time I see you make this statement, I cringe. It’s horribly misinformed, and it’s a disservice to students and parents who come here to learn. Math is immensely important in CS. It’s a core part of the degree. </p>
<p>Here are a few of the courses that any good CS education should cover: Linear Algebra, Graph Theory, Modern Algebra, Math Logic, Discrete Math, Combinatorics, Probability and Statistics, Cryptography - and there are many more. The engineering math courses (Calc, Diff Eqs) aren’t especially relevant.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP also doesn’t believe in colonoscopies (or mamographies) for herself…this thread puts into perspective, to me, whose advice I choose to take on forums such as these. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1191808-colonoscopy-how-hard-you.html?highlight=colonoscopy+miamidap[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1191808-colonoscopy-how-hard-you.html?highlight=colonoscopy+miamidap</a></p>
<p>Wow…I didn’t like her advice already, but no mammograms?? My mom has had breast cancer twice. Both times it was detected in its earliest stages by a mammogram!!! I’ve gone every year since I have been in my early 30’s. ( My grandmother also had breast cancer.) Since they both got it their early 50’s, I have about 6 years left before I get really paranoid. But that is one appointment I do NOT miss. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the ideas everyone!!! Sounds like he has got a wide variety of options.</p>
<p>Practicing CS people rarely encounter anything math related unless they do very low level graphics. straight math software and the like, or write math intensive software. Mrs. Turbo has done more math related stuff than I have (at school and at work) and most of her stuff is relatively simple calculations (say, quality control related) that can be done fairly easily with a four function calculator.</p>
<p>My favorite minor (more or less what I did) for CS would be operations research, where you get to do entertaining stuff like linear programming, optimization, and the like. Very math-y but no calculus, diff equations, or small mammal sacrifices over an open fire…</p>
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<p>Good way to go.</p>
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<p>That’s not math in the calculus sense, tho. </p>
<p>As with most computer science problems, most of the work is to put the problem in terms the computer can handle; so, while fantasy sports is not my thing, I would wager the problem involves some kind of selection algorithm that considers statistics for a particular position, rankings, other teams’ needs, and so on. Throw in a bunch of probability and statistics and some decision making while we’re at it.</p>
<p>I’d be willing to bet there’s fairly basic math in there, and that most of the heavy lifting is to formulate the rules and actions in a rules-based behavior approach… </p>
<p>Maybe math is to computer science just like what chemistry is to medical doctors (unless you’re an anesthesiologist of course :))</p>
<p>What does math in the calculus sense mean? There is of course more to math than calculus, and even analysis. Analysis of algorithms is most definitely math - many of the algorithms classes at my school are cross listed in both the math and the computer science departments, and there are professors that do research in algorithms but are part of the math department. If anything, the style of my algorithms classes resembles mathematics much more than the style of the calculus classes I’ve taken. The former focused on proofs while all my calculus classes have been mostly about computation.</p>
<p>True enough, but in 30 years as a professional code monkey the most analysis/theory I ever used was mentioning O(N) once in a presentation, and that was to explain something away :).</p>