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If you’re interested in reading them (and they are extremely readable), you should first know something (not everything) about programming and discrete mathemat
by Q6T46nT668w6i3m 4y ago
If you’re interested in reading them (and they are extremely readable), you should first know something (not everything) about programming and discrete mathematics. If you watched some YouTube videos on logic, sets, graphs, etc. you’ll be more than equipped. Knuth has even written a book, Concrete Mathematics, that covers these pre-requisites but it might be faster and easier to watch a Khan Academy video!
- Jtsummers 4y agoDoes Khan Academy cover the math topics of Concrete Mathematics yet? Looking at their list of math courses I don't see a single discrete math course in the bunch.
- BeetleB 4y agoConcrete Mathematics has some fairly advanced stuff (e.g. asymptotics) which I doubt Khan Academy covers.
- Jtsummers 4y agoRight, which was what I was getting at. The person I responded to had written: > Knuth has even written a book, Concrete Mathematics, that covers these pre-requisites but it might be faster and easier to watch a Khan Academy video! Which suggests KA as an alternative to CM. Which doesn't follow if it doesn't cover the same material.
- Q6T46nT668w6i3m 4y agoI have no idea! I just used it as an example of “educational video on YouTube!” :-)
- moron4hire 4y agoUuuuuh. I know a lot about programming and discrete mathematics (I used to tutor both, and I've used a lot of discrete math throughout my 20 year career as a software developer) and I still struggle with the books. Maybe your definition of "something" varies from mine.
- urthor 4y agoWhat's the struggle? I've a moderste grasp of induction etc, but my impression is that that's all that's required.
- lupire 4y agoThat's not really what Concrete Mathematics is about. It's not a prereq to TAOCP.
- chungy 4y agoMathematical Induction in volume 1 is the prerequisite material. The work is supposed to be self-sufficient.
- WastingMyTime89 4y agoConcrete Mathematics is in fact an elaboration on the chapter covering the prereq in TAOCP. It was well worth it considering how great this chapter is. The best part of TAOCP for me is how incredibly good the exercises are. The gradual difficulty is perfect and from 20 onwards you always get some interring insight from solving them. I am especially M and HM ones which are amongst some of the best maths problems I have seen despite being in a CS book.