Re:Impact of programming on primary mathematics learning
by josephg on Monday September 05, 2022 @06:42PM
(#32730360)
It’s surprising because (anecdotally), math students in college consistently have a much easier time learning computer science than other students. I’m not sure if there have been studies on this, but it was remarkably consistent when I taught first year CS.
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Re:Impact of programming on primary mathematics learning
by tonightstoast on Monday September 05, 2022 @06:52PM
(#32730435)
Yeah that’s a bit of a chicken vs egg problem though, isn’t it? It’s like how physics students routinely have the highest LSAT. If they were already towards the top of their class upon entry, it’s not surprising to see them doing well in comparison to their peers.
Edit: added last sentence.
Re:Impact of programming on primary mathematics learning
by Hermitian909 on Tuesday September 06, 2022 @01:07AM
(#32733102)
As a math major who studied CS: Math I encountered in CS classes was always something I'd encountered earlier and had well in hand so I could focus on the CS specifics. My classmates only studying CS, conversely, often struggled with the math side of things.
I'd imagine that + some sampling bias (math majors almost universally love complex abstractions and algorithms unlike almost any other major) feels like it would explain it?