in reply to Most Used/Useful Math skills

From Wikipedia:

Computer science is considered by some to have a much closer relationship with mathematics than many scientific disciplines, with some observers saying that computing is a mathematical science. Early computer science was strongly influenced by the work of mathematicians such as Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing, and there continues to be a useful interchange of ideas between the two fields in areas such as mathematical logic, category theory, domain theory, and algebra.

I've found that my interest in the science of computing has motivated me to become more proficient with mathematics. They really go hand in hand.

The public education system where I live recently made a subtle shift in high school graduation requirements. Previously, a student could take a CS elective and apply it toward his or her math requirements. Now that CS elective can be applied either toward a math requirement, or toward a science requirement. It might be seen by some that this is a step toward supporting that CS is a science. But the reality is that the change was made to encourage CS students to take more math (the implication being that if this CS elective is used to fill a science credit, there will still be a need to fill another math credit). Sort of a round-about "social engineering" approach to encouraging more math. I guess I would have preferred to see some other requirement relaxed in order to support kids who want to focus more on science, math, engineering, etc. But everyone has their own agendas, and somehow a curriculum is arrived at. ;)


Dave