I agree. I've coded for more than a dozen years, and the most advanced math I ever had to use was modular arithmetic --- which is actually quite simple. I call

I agree. I've coded for more than a dozen years, and the most advanced math I ever had to use was modular arithmetic --- which is actually quite simple. I call it advanced because I went all the way through algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus, and I never once had a lesson on the modulus. I learned it on the job out of desperation. As many of you know, it comes up a few times in certain programming problems. While I find pi intriguing and the 100 Prisoners Problem fun to ponder, I never was into math like some people, and I dread the day I have one of those kinds of interviews. In fact my background is in English. I tripped into programming quite against my will and now love it, and I always thought that all those math nerds who think programming is most like math never really understood English Composition, because I see parallels all the time (the kind taught in The Elements of Style and On Writing Well, which are classics but actually unlike most writing books). Emma said, "To my surprise, CS wasn't different from math at all." To my surprise, CS wasn't different from English at all (again, English Composition, not English Literature). By the way, I will say that Emma not only is a master of math but also English. Her article was very well written. As casual as it seems, its rhythms, word choice, and humor are masterful. It outstrips the attempts of most bloggers who try to be chummy and funny and who wind up just being annoying. Actually what programming most reminds me of is organizing, sort of like cleaning my room, trying to fit suitcases in a trunk, or filing papers. Which items are most like each other? How can we fit them more closely together? What if we rotate this one or repackage that one into a different shape? I suppose then it is like architecture or engineering, although I've never formally studied either one.