Why do I have to take calculus for a software engineering degree?

[wasssup]

Like others have mentioned it's to get you to "open your mind" and develop critical thinking skills more than anything, traits that any good programmer should have. While you may have developed it by unconventional means, think about 18 year olds kids in college................

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: jread

Originally posted by: sdifox
After all it's said and done, you are getting a BSc n'est pas?

Well, this is an M.S. program. Mainly what I'm having to do is go back and take background requirements since I don't have a C.S. undergraduate degree.

MSc without calculus? Unthinkable

 

[episodic]

I was a philosophy major, and took math through calc I and II and a trig class. . .then a senior level probability class, then linear algebra just because. O yea, symbolic logic nearly kicked my arse. . .(because I wasn't showing up to class there for a few weeks)


Philosophy major with three minors mathematics, English, and sociology.

 

[jread]

Originally posted by: episodic
I was a philosophy major, and took math through calc I and II and a trig class. . .then a senior level probability class, then linear algebra just because. O yea, symbolic logic nearly kicked my arse. . .(because I wasn't showing up to class there for a few weeks)


Philosophy major with three minors mathematics, English, and sociology.

That's insane. I thought people majored in philosophy because they wanted to avoid any and all difficult courses You are quite the exception!

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
I forget exactly what it is, but taking the dirivative of a pixel and the neighboring pixel can tell you a lot about their relationship. this was a while back so I can't really remember the exact usage of it.

How sharp the transition between the two is...that's basically how you draw a boundary between two objects when doing image processing.

Originally posted by: jread
I've been reviewing concepts and seem to remember most of it except for one thing that shouldn't be hard: Finding the original value of something based on a current value that is a percentage of the original. For some reason, I can't remember how to do this. Here's an example problem.

1. "The price of a microwave oven has been discounted by 15%. The sale price is $339.15. What is the original price of the microwave oven?"

That's where algebra really shines. You don't know the original price, right? So call it "x". You know that x*85%=sale price, so just set .85x=$339.15. Divide by .85 and you got it.

Originally posted by: jread
That's insane. I thought people majored in philosophy because they wanted to avoid any and all difficult courses You are quite the exception!

What are you talking about, philosophy has some of the HARDEST courses. I majored in Chem E, a friend of mine majored in philosophy, and is now going to grad school for it. He's really struggling, and he's smarter than I am. It ain't easy.

 

[amol]

Just take the class. I'm a senior in high school and I'm taking Calculus ... it's seriously not that hard (at least ... not yet)

 

[So]

1. Nobody should get a college degree without calc.
2. ESPECIALLY Nobody should get an engineering degree w/o multiple calc classes.
4. If you don't take calc, real engineers will see you as much one of them as a "Sanitation engineer" is.
5. NOBODY should be allowed to be called an engineer without calc.
6. No land wars in asia.
7. Take calc, it'll be good for you.
8. You're not an engineer without calc.

9. Software engineers aren't engineers, you're programmers.

 

[jread]

LOL! Check out the section of this page under the heading, "What Knowledge Do You Use the Least?":

http://www.ecs.csus.edu/csc/assessment/...ining%20california%20filetype%3Apdf%22

 

[RaiderJ]

Originally posted by: Deeko
If you don't want to take gen. ed classes for your college degree, then switch to a two-year tech school and get an associates degree.

/thread

Community College FTW!