Haven't you gotten it backwards? You appear to be interested in what is the lowest level of math needed to be a "hacker". Of course, the question is hard to in

Haven't you gotten it backwards? You appear to be interested in what is the lowest level of math needed to be a "hacker". Of course, the question is hard to interpret as the term "hacker" has a multiplicity of folk definitions. Most of my colleagues think that "hacker" and "polymath" are synonymous and see it as a positive term. Other folks often think "hacker" describes people who maliciously break into secured computer systems and view them as pariahs. In truth, computer programs and problem solving don't require deep mathematical knowledge, but it helps.