IQ Estimates by College Major

[merithyn]

Why is it many maths but only one science?

Nah, I usually say sciences, too.

[Jacob]

... but apparently Brits do not.

[merithyn]

... but apparently Brits do not.

They should.

[CountDeMoney]

And I like how maths sounds.

Please, just don't.  I can tolerate, even embrace other Britishisms, but Americans saying "maths" is like nails on a chalkboard.

Yeah, I can handle that "on holiday", "at hospital" and "to university" bullshit, and even how they fuck up stuff like "schedule", but that's over the fucking line.  Maths.  Oh, fuck no.

[DGuller]

Pffft CC caved so easily.

Yeah, its like she went out of her way to post something stupid to get me.

You know, you both have the option to just not respond to anything that I write. Really and truly. It's okay. I promise that I won't miss you. In fact, I'm guessing it would be a kindness to many if you didn't.

But where is the fun in that?

[merithyn]

To the computer programmers out there, I have a question. I know that for a Comp Sci degree there are a slew of maths... er... math classes that are required, up to and beyond Calculus IV or some such. I decided today to just move forward and get my AS in Database Programming. The only math class that I'm required to take for that is Statistics (which, thankfully, I took the first time through for an A).

Why is such a high math necessary for Comp Sci? What will I be missing if I don't choose to take any additional math classes when I go into the work force?

[Razgovory]

Weird.  I got a higher score then the top average on IQ and I couldn't hack in college.  I find that kind of disturbing.

[merithyn]

Weird.  I got a higher score then the top average on IQ and I couldn't hack in college.  I find that kind of disturbing.

That's an average of all those who took the GRE after majoring in those subjects. There will most likely be people with much higher IQs in those particular programs.

The average for my undergrad major is 119. My IQ tops the highest average, too. I helped balance those with an IQ of 70 finishing a degree in History.

[Razgovory]

Weird.  I got a higher score then the top average on IQ and I couldn't hack in college.  I find that kind of disturbing.

That's an average of all those who took the GRE after majoring in those subjects. There will most likely be people with much higher IQs in those particular programs.

The average for my undergrad major is 119. My IQ tops the highest average, too. I helped balance those with an IQ of 70 finishing a degree in History.

You have to understand I didn't learn left from right or how to tie my shoe until I was a in 7th grade.  The idea of someone dumber then me working at a nuclear plant is scary.

[merithyn]

You have to understand I didn't learn left from right or how to tie my shoe until I was a in 7th grade.  The idea of someone dumber then me working at a nuclear plant is scary.

You can be very bright and still not very coordinated.

[Maximus]

To the computer programmers out there, I have a question. I know that for a Comp Sci degree there are a slew of maths... er... math classes that are required, up to and beyond Calculus IV or some such. I decided today to just move forward and get my AS in Database Programming. The only math class that I'm required to take for that is Statistics (which, thankfully, I took the first time through for an A).

Why is such a high math necessary for Comp Sci? What will I be missing if I don't choose to take any additional math classes when I go into the work force?

Well there isn't really a direct application for calculus to general computer science, but it is required for an engineering degree. Similar thing with physics.

Computer science itself is approximately half math and half Engineering. Many of the math classes are not something you will see much of outside of a CS degree, though, things like discrete structures, algorithms and computational theory. Of the general math courses I took I think the only one you are missing is linear algebra, and I don't think you'll miss that much unless you get into something like scientific computing, in which case you would also want stuff like calculus and differential equations.

[merithyn]

Well there isn't really a direct application for calculus to general computer science, but it is required for an engineering degree. Similar thing with physics.

Computer science itself is approximately half math and half Engineering. Many of the math classes are not something you will see much of outside of a CS degree, though, things like discrete structures, algorithms and computational theory. Of the general math courses I took I think the only one you are missing is linear algebra, and I don't think you'll miss that much unless you get into something like scientific computing, in which case you would also want stuff like calculus and differential equations.

So, not taking Calculus isn't going to mean that I'm a terrible programmer? That's kind of what I was asking.

By the way, when you get home, say that again to me.... It's like French only more foreign.

[ulmont]

So, not taking Calculus isn't going to mean that I'm a terrible programmer? That's kind of what I was asking.

In 8 years of programming after graduating with a CS degree, I attempted to use Calculus exactly once in my actual day job.  Along with another graduate from the same CS program, we set up our double integral, got a completely nonsensical result, said "fuck it" and did some discrete approximations to reach "close enough."

So you're fine.

[merithyn]

So, not taking Calculus isn't going to mean that I'm a terrible programmer? That's kind of what I was asking.

In 8 years of programming after graduating with a CS degree, I attempted to use Calculus exactly once in my actual day job.  Along with another graduate from the same CS program, we set up our double integral, got a completely nonsensical result, said "fuck it" and did some discrete approximations to reach "close enough."

So you're fine.

Thanks!

[Iormlund]

Math helps a lot when there's a need for complex or very efficient algorithms. When working with large DBs, for example, a query can grind the system to a halt if you don't understand how they are executed internally (relational databases are based on something called Set Theory).

As Max says, knowledge of math is one of the things that makes you an engineer rather than a simple programmer.