Algorithms take you far. Optimized code takes you the rest of the way. If you’re after performance you’ll do both, of course. I’ve found that the only subfield

Algorithms take you far. Optimized code takes you the rest of the way. If you’re after performance you’ll do both, of course. I’ve found that the only subfield of which I know in which mathematicians still write their own C or C++ is concise/efficient data structures and algorithms.