Re: (OT) Should math (or adv. math) be required in CIS degrees?

[Popcorn Dave]

in reply to (OT) Should math (or adv. math) be required in CIS degrees?

Yes and maybe.

Math is very important if you're doing things like games and accounting. But if you're doing game programming so is physics, so would you include that as a CIS req too?

To me, the bottom line is simply this. If you're going to teach someone programming, what they need to learn first is step by step problem solving. Whether that's mathematical or philisophical in nature, I don't believe makes a difference.

If you can't see how to solve something in steps, you're doomed to hack and peck programming, which will cause you and anyone else looking at your code no end of headaces.

Not to say that we all haven't been guilty of that once or twice... : )

Some people fall from grace. I prefer a running start...

[FoxtrotUniform]

Math is very important if you're doing things like games and accounting. But if you're doing game programming so is physics, so would you include that as a CIS req too?

Point of order: it's not terribly difficult to pick up physics from scratch if you have a good grounding in math. The reverse is more difficult. (And physics is far less important for game programming than math, especially on the graphics side.)

--
The hell with paco, vote for Erudil!
:wq

[thewalledcity]

Yes, but away from the graphics side, I prefer games that have at least somewhat realistic physics. I would contend that physics is just as important as math (esp. since there are good 3d engines on the market that can be licensed, eliminating some of the headache of coding the graphics all yourself)

[FoxtrotUniform]

Yes, but away from the graphics side, I prefer games that have at least somewhat realistic physics. I would contend that physics is just as important as math (esp. since there are good 3d engines on the market that can be licensed, eliminating some of the headache of coding the graphics all yourself)

Ah, but now we're talking about games that you like, rather than games programming in general. I'll reply by contending that J. Random Games Programmer is more likely to be called upon to do math (linear algebra, most likely) than physics, and add that there are a lot of physics engines on the market that can be licensed (poke around http://gamasutra.com/ and see what I mean).

--
The hell with paco, vote for Erudil!
:wq

[dragonchild]

I'd like to point something out - physics is as close to math as you can get while still pretending to be about the real world. (Philosophy tries, but is too theoretical to be real.)

Plus, you're still missing the point - learning Math for programmers isn't about learning how to solve mathematical problems, it's about thinking analytically.