what math is used in computer science?

AuburnMathTutor
Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:18:45 +0000

Short answer… there are two kinds of math, the math like analysis and the math like algebra. Of the two, algebra is more useful to the study and practice of CS.

Long answer… the only useful thing you’ll learn in Cal/DiffEq is limits and sequences, and the only useful thing you’ll learn in LinAlg is doing proofs. Discrete math tries to cover things that are in the “algebra” half of the discipline that don’t really count as modern abstract algebra… things like logic, proofs, combinatorics, graphs, trees, recursions, etc. This will be the most useful math class you have. Other useful math courses cover applications like crypto, numerical analysis, coding, etc. Actual algebra is useful for the theory.