in reply to What should I read?
First off, let me say that your comments on the CB have not seemed stupid to me. Most "success" in public schools is due to an ability to kiss @ss and frog jump, as opposed to developing true intelligence and grasping connections.
Donald Knuth's "The Art of Computer Programming" series is good. Any book on "discrete mathematics" will give you computer-oriented mathematics. Beyond that, I wouldn't look for any one book to give you everything, because math (like Perl) goes in many different directions.
What I will say, is, "enjoy the ride!" Mathematics is one of the most powerful tools mankind has ever developed. You won't find everything in one place, though. Kirchoff's equations and digital signal processing are too far apart for any one book to give it all to you in an evening. Just trust your mind to build associations as you journey up the spiral of learning, and let it take you where it will. Basic logic and your intuitive sense will help you grasp every problem as it comes along, and everything else is just the syntax of a given representation of a concept or situation. (Again, like Perl!)
Re^2: What should I read?
by jdporter (Paladin) on Mar 10, 2005 at 15:28 UTC
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Any book on "discrete mathematics" ...
That is exactly what I was going to say!
Discrete math is not only absolutely essential,
but also fairly easy to pick up.
I can refer you to the book I used in school, though I have no idea how it compares to others:
Discrete Mathematics, by Johnsonbaugh.
I would also suggest checking out the plethora of "journey through mathematics" type of books that come out regularly. My favorites — oldies but goodies — are the ones by A. K. Dewdney, particularly The Turing Omnibus. That one in particular is really about computation and algorithmics, but very fascinating, and closely related to discrete math, most of the time.
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