Math Is Fun Forum
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#1 2014-03-20 09:07:59
- PatternMan
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- Registered: 2014-03-08
- Posts: 199
Best way to start programming
I started using Python earlier this week. I want to learn programming but was wondering what the best way is. To study a computer science degree the good universities require you to know mathematics to a good standard usually upto A level which is 18 here. They cover up to differentiation & intergration which I haven't covered. They also have the option to learn some algorithms like the bubble sort etc. Then in university they cover all of that discrete mathematics: sequences, set theory, relationis etc.
So I have been covering some of the basics in Python and noticed it's virtually all based on logic and mathematics. You don't need to understand anything more than arithmetic and the basics of algebra to be able to make simple programs. I have covered the data types and some parts of data structures. I vaguely understand OOP.
I have learned that and have relatively no idea how to make anything good yet. I'm wondering if I should learrn the mathematics before bothering trying to program or if i should do them simultaneously?
"School conditions you to reject your own judgement and experiences. The facts are in the textbook. Memorize and follow the rules. What they don't tell you is the people that discovered the facts and wrote the textbooks are people like you and me."
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#2 2014-03-20 10:03:10
- ShivamS
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- Registered: 2011-02-07
- Posts: 3,648
Re: Best way to start programming
Mathematics for computer science is much higher. An undergraduate level computer science course in 3rd year or henceforth here requires calculus 1, 2, 3, linear algebra, differential equation, discrete maths at very least. I recommend the MIT course on introductory computer science at edx.org for free. It covers python and introduces you to many algorithms. The best part for you is that since it's introductory, it only requires the math that you already know. I would suggest learning programming and then doing some programming simultaneously while learning the math. That's what I did, I wasn't through algebra 2 when I started.
Have fun programming!
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#3 2014-03-20 12:09:35
- PatternMan
- Member
- Registered: 2014-03-08
- Posts: 199
Re: Best way to start programming
Mathematics for computer science is much higher. An undergraduate level computer science course in 3rd year or henceforth here requires calculus 1, 2, 3, linear algebra, differential equation, discrete maths at very least. I recommend the MIT course on introductory computer science at edx.org for free. It covers python and introduces you to many algorithms. The best part for you is that since it's introductory, it only requires the math that you already know. I would suggest learning programming and then doing some programming simultaneously while learning the math. That's what I did, I wasn't through algebra 2 when I started.
Have fun programming!
Thanks again. How do you find all ths stuff?
"School conditions you to reject your own judgement and experiences. The facts are in the textbook. Memorize and follow the rules. What they don't tell you is the people that discovered the facts and wrote the textbooks are people like you and me."
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#4 2014-03-20 14:25:53
- ShivamS
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- Registered: 2011-02-07
- Posts: 3,648
Re: Best way to start programming
You're welcome.
You can view the course on edx.org, where all you have to do is make a free account. Also try ocw.mit.edu for other courses or Coursera, Udacity or any other MOOC.
Last edited by ShivamS (2014-03-20 14:26:32)
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