Questions tagged [computer-science]

Computer science is the study of the principles and use of computation.

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3 answers
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How can I help/tutor a friend who is taking the same course as me?

I am a STEM major and have a good friend who is a non-STEM major. We are both taking a CS minor, me because it is relevant to my field of study and he because he wants a backup plan in case his ...
bobble's user avatar
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6 votes
4 answers
2k views

What are some rationales to teach Computer Science students Sequences and Series?

I was asked to teach the following topics to undergraduate Computer Science (CS) students in a discrete math course: Sequences (definition, convergent sequences, find the limit of a convergent ...
faceclean's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
118 views

How can I effectively learn and master Math and Statistics for Data Science?

I completed a BSc in Computer Science recently and am going on to do an MSc in Data Science. However, the only focussed math module I had during CS was in the first year and I didn't do too well. I ...
curiousCoder's user avatar
10 votes
10 answers
2k views

Should mathematical logic be included in a discrete mathematics course for computer science?

I am going to teach 2nd-year undergraduate students in applied math or computer science a course called "Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science". Most students who take this course plan ...
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0 votes
0 answers
109 views

Which resource(s) to use to learn the following syllabus of discrete structures?

(YES) - included; (NO) - explicitly excluded; as stated from the IOI syllabus(2019); 5.2 Discrete Structures (DS) DS1. Functions, relations, and sets (YES)Functions (surjections, injections, inverses, ...
Neelesh V's user avatar
26 votes
15 answers
4k views

What's the point of learning equivalence relations?

I teach an introductory discrete mathematics course at a community college to math and computing majors, usually in their sophomore year. As is common, it's partly used as the first foray into formal ...
Daniel R. Collins's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
95 views

Need to learn recurrence relation discrete mathematics [closed]

Which is the best tutorial available online to learn the recurrence relation concept and its solution in discrete mathematics, in a systematic way?
Melvin Mathew's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
316 views

How to explain NP-hardness and NP-completeness to students

Computer science is becoming more and more important for mathematicians nowadays. Terms like big data, algorithm, artificial intelligence and others are frequently on the news. Many mathematical ...
YukiJ's user avatar
  • 702
4 votes
1 answer
207 views

When are arithmetic operator priorities typically taught in school, in relation to computer programming?

When are operator priorities for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division typically taught in school? This this obviously differs by geography, I'm trying to understand how common it is for ...
Dan Dascalescu's user avatar
6 votes
8 answers
2k views

What should I learn after calculus?

I'm currently planning on taking AP Calculus BC and AP Statistics as a freshman in high school next year, and am looking to go into the computer science field. I was wondering what track I should ...
Andrew Li's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
127 views

Why do we do numerical modeling in science? (for 7-16 year old)

I have little experience in teaching young kids. Soon, I will present my research to a class of 7 to 16 year old kids. I do some analytical modelling but I mainly do individual-based simulations in ...
Remi.b's user avatar
  • 151
3 votes
2 answers
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Expository/accessible source on computability/undecidability

Are there any expository books or articles on computability that are accessible to the general public on the order of Simon Singh's math popularizations (The Code Book)? I'm looking for one with lots ...
Mitch's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
226 views

Teaching Neural Networks to 6th grade students

I've been thinking if it would be possible to teach something about the basic mathematics behind Neural Networks / Deep learning to a class of 6th graders (12-13ys old). A 90-minute (max) lecture must ...
Giorgos Sfikas's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
287 views

How to motivate 'Theory of Computation'?

I am teaching Theory of Computation for the first time soon, and need a short introduction and justification to motivate students who have only Introductory Programming behind them. I am torn between: ...
Joseph O'Rourke's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
207 views

Recommendations for free, basic resource on discrete probability for a discrete structures class?

I'm teaching a course this fall on Discrete Structures for Computer Science. It's taught out of the math department but is a service course for the CS department with 90-95% of students being CS ...
Robert Talbert's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
2k views

Which math classes should be included in an undergraduate computer science program?

As part of my job search, I've come into contact with universities that are beginning to offer new majors at their university such as applied mathematics or computer science. A frequent interview ...
Brian Rushton's user avatar
21 votes
3 answers
730 views

How can I discourage proof by patchwork?

I have a student who is working in their spare time on proving or disproving a conjecture of the form $$\exists x.\forall y.\phi(x,y).$$ Right now their strategy is to construct an $x$ and then show ...
forritari's user avatar
  • 313
7 votes
3 answers
881 views

How to effectively teach pseudocode

I'm helping with an algorithms course next term. I've taught intro programming courses and seminars, but never intro algorithms. I've spoken with previous TAs and instructors, and one of the biggest ...
Linear's user avatar
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22 votes
9 answers
3k views

"A computer program IS a proof": Introducing rigor via programming

This provocative essay Igor Rivin. "Some Thoughts on the Teaching of Mathematics—Ten Years Later." Notices of the AMS, Jun/Jul 2014. (PDF download link). suggests that a discussion of Igor'...
Joseph O'Rourke's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
246 views

Motivating combinatorics identity to different audiences: $ \binom{n}{k}^2 \geq \binom{n}{k-1}\binom{n}{k+1} $

Recently I asked the following identity on Math.StackExchange knowing it had several proofs: $$ \binom{n}{k}^2 \geq \binom{n}{k-1}\binom{n}{k+1} $$ See here. They quickly give the one-liner: In ...
john mangual's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
735 views

Flipping (or not) a large graduate class

I teach a graduate class in algorithms. Students take this class primarily as a breadth requirement in grad school, and they are a mix of MS and Ph.D students in computer science. Most students taking ...
Suresh Venkat's user avatar
45 votes
12 answers
31k views

What should be included in a freshman 'Mathematics for computer programmers' course?

Many universities are changing up the way that they teach math service courses. 1-3 semesters of calculus and maybe a course in linear algebra are often included in majors (such as computer science) ...
Brian Rushton's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
128 views

Three approaches to regular languages

Disclaimer: This is a theoretical computer-science question to see how the community will react, relevant meta discussion can be found here. I picked the topic to be formal languages, as question ...
dtldarek's user avatar
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