im thinking of switching from CS to math. i still want to be a programmer, but the kinds of programming that im interested are mathy in nature (learning from data, scientific computing, graphical simulations, etc). my school teaches object oriented design pattern pseudo science instead of real cs.
>>5
I think >>3 is an ultrafinistist: he rejects even potential infinity, or any notion of taking a set of infinite objects. However, such sets arise if you accept the induction axiom schema. I find it as a valid principle, and I cannot fathom it being false. While I think we can question other infinity axioms (such as the one which states that there is always an object which is "greater" than all the previous ones - found in constructive set theory, which is why an infinity of infinities appear when considering ordinals/cardinals), but I don't think one can question the infinity of natural numbers, not unless Peano Arithmetic is to be inconsistent.
Erm, I meant iterative set theories, not constructive set theories.
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Anonymous2011-10-23 19:15
I started my math bachelor this academic year. Before I chose math I considered CS, but the bachelors at the universities I considered hardly teach anything I don't know already. I also considered AI, but that would just be a mix of things I know already and psychology, and quoth Dijstra ``The effort of using machines to mimic the human mind has always struck me as rather silly: I'd rather use them to mimic something better.''.
While don't care much for real numbers and pure existence proofs, I'm learning much that makes me a better programmer. It's not easy, but I want to be the very best.
Math is enjoyable and empowering. It'll give you a lot to draw from when you are solving problems, so it is good for any kind of engineering. You should check it out if you are considering it. It takes a lot of patience though, as you'll spend most of your time being stuck on stuff. You have to get used to the idea of spending most of your time trying to figure stuff out, and less time dedicated to actually producing results.
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Anonymous2011-10-23 19:16
>>6
You're a fucking moron with no possible future as a computer programmer. Just suck it up accept that fact that you will never ever work as a software engineer for Kodak, Google, Micorsoft, or any other major firm.
>>10
Get out kodak_gallery_programmer!!kCq+A64Losi56ze, you're even more worthless than the ``in LISP'' guy - he may be an ultrafinitist, but at least he's not as boring as you.
CS is not a course in programming; CS is a branch of applied maths. CS is not a science but an art or an engineering subject. Object oriented design patterns are within the scope of CS.
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Anonymous2011-10-24 1:42
I studied CS and now I'm studying Math. If you don't go to the very best CS schools don't even bother. It'll be filled with a lot of people who are there because they heard there's money to be made as a programmer and that complain whenever something interesting is taught because it has no ``real world applications'' or whatever. And this is of course the majority so yeah just imagine the rest.
Now for Math no one really goes there for the money so it's a much more pleasant experience at least for me. Also there's a lot more girls at Math but I don't know why.
Anyway unless you plan on going to MIT just pick up a few books and learn everything yourself. Read SICP.
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Anonymous2011-10-24 3:02
>>14 Also there's a lot more girls at Math but I don't know why.
Male mathematics students are generally cleaner and more handsome than CS students, it's the higher intelligence that does it.
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Anonymous2011-10-24 4:07
Math alone won't give you the background you need. In CS, you'll just have to struggle through the fads, they are bound to happen to fields that are popular and don't require too much knowledge to get into.
Don't worry about the "contemporary" software development crap. I don't know what kind of classes you have, but your curriculum probably has Databases, Artificial Intelligence, Image Processing, Theory of Computing, Data Structures and Algorithms, which are enough to make CS a good option. By what you cited as your interests, I think you'll be stimulated by the field called Numerical Analysis. I'm taking a Numerical Analysis course even though it's outside my curriculum, and I'm seriously considering working in that area in the future.
To those who say CS is an art, that's bullshit. It doesn't say anything at all. It's because of that kind of shit that the field is full of crap like Agile methodologies and other wannabe pseudo science fads.
>>16 To those who say CS is an art, that's bullshit
You haven't read your SICP. For shame.
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Anonymous2011-10-24 9:39
>>15
I don't know if the men are more good looking because I'm not a faggot. The Math women on the other hand are a lot more good looking than the CS women.
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Anonymous2011-10-24 13:12
>>13 Object oriented design patterns are within the scope of CS.
kind of like how eugenics is within the scope of ecology.
>>22
I don't know why you'd consider OOP a pseudo-science because OOP isn't a science at all; OOP is a software engineering topic. OOP is a design method for structuring a system.
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Anonymous2011-10-24 22:53
>>23
a falsifiable (and falsified) claim: that these techniques reduce defects and development time.
>>1
If you are still early in the game (first year), then switch if you want. If you are late in the game (senior year), then finish CS and get a master's in math. If you are somewhere in between, then just add a bunch of math to your existing curriculum and either get a math minor or a double major.