few questions about Computer science

colin300

I put this down on my CAO form along with the other course computing.
Just wanna know what its like. I have always wanted to do this there has never been anything else that trully got my attention.
Just wanna know what programming is like? Is it like learning languages or is it easier? I get maths easily, languages are the hard part are they the same or completely different. I can do pretty much anything on a computer. I can learn anything to do with pc's in minutes, its just seems to come naturally.

Then i hear stories about people that love computers and when they think programming is for them they end up making the wrong decision and they end up hating computers, which i could never see happening.

Just wanna get peoples opinion.

Cheers in advance.

ecksor

I never did well with natural languages in school but always found learning programming languages fairly easy. The brain treats the rigid unambiguous programming languages different to the ambiguous and "fuzzy" natural languages I suppose. For example, one regular poster on boards commented before that his dyslexia affects his English, but never his programming.

However, asking the question does suggest that you haven't tried any programming before, so you may find that learning to program computers isn't going to relate very much to the type of stuff you've done with PCs before (and it isn't) and that it isn't for you. On the other hand, perhaps you'll love it. Many do.

colin300

yep your right never done any prgramming. i have a Teach Yourself C book i plan on doing during the summer before i go on to do the course.

How much is there of maths in prgramming i here alot of different things?

ecksor

And if I give you an answer, someone else will disagree with it! Still, might as well answer and let others offer their view if they wish.

How much maths there is in programming depends upon what you understand to be mathematics and what you understand to be programming. I'm currently doing a maths degree because (well, it's one of the reasons) I found that you can't go very far in computer science without a good understanding of discrete mathematics. Computer science is a branch of mathematics. However, a degree will most likely teach you the science you need to go and practice as a software engineer in the same way that a more traditional engineering degree would teach you the relevant physics or chemistry to go and become a practitioner in that area.

The areas are typically algorithms and data structures for figuring out how best to represent data and how best to process it, mathematical logic for working out what can and can't be computed, rules for optimizing circuits etc, finite algebras for cryptography and coding theory (although you might never meet these in an undergrad degree if you don't want to), perhaps some combinatorics and graph theory for applications like networks and general counting skills.

colin300

well i plan on doing maths mostly i like it alot a more and more to the point i like the area of cryptography i wouldn't keep myself to that one area just yet but it does attract my attention. I read the code book by simon singh and liked it i know his book is a history of codes but it gave me an even more in depth view of what it is. I know u need a large volume of maths which is why when i finish school i will look into it more.

I keep thinking about honours maths i was going fine in maths till i think it was the beginning of third year i got this teacher that went so slow and i mean slow that she dragged us all back to pass. Now i am top in ordinary level which i know is a big gap too honours but I believe i could learn it easily.

Stench Blossoms

I do computer science, I did ordinary maths for my leaving and got an A and i get on grand in maths. The only thing that bothers me is that i wish i did physics because maths modelling it kinda like that and i never did it.

Programming isnt to hard, just go to the lectures and listen. I found lanugages in school awful but programming language is completely different.

colin300

Well i do physics and Chemistry so I hope that helps me aswell. I will do honours in both of them for leaving hopefully get a b3 or there abouts in them. I know they can be a bit hard but I will do loads of study to get them.
Physics maths equations and all that are easy. Just need to think logically.

Stench Blossoms

I did chemistry aswell, not really needed tbh. Physics is easy when you've dont it before not when your only startin out and thrown into the deep end

colin300

how long does it take to start learning programming? is it from the very beginning of the course or after you learn the maths they believe you need to get the basics of programming?

Stench Blossoms

you learn programming from the very start. You learn binary in maths first. Nothing we've done in maths relates to programming yet

colin300

What year are you in? Just out of curiousity what stream do you plan on taking?

Stench Blossoms

Im in first yr

Repli

Im in 3rd year of FT228 but on work placement at the moment, just got my exam results anyway and im thru to 4th year =D anyway from my experience of the course, it doesnt matter how good you are at maths, nothing you do in maths will be anything like the leaving cert, its all logic/binary/set theory/etc so dont worry about leaving cert maths for the course. The programming is easy in first year, but a bit harder in second year. First year is very easy, i guarantee you will pass (anyone doing it/going into it) but second year is very hard, they pile on the work and assignments, then 3rd year is not too bad if you do work placement, 4th year i heard is a pain in the ass.. well i suppose thats to be expected as it is your last year in college, if you want to know any more about the course pm me or post here..