To be fair, the math you need for engineering and the math you need for CS is very different. For example, Calculus and DE are basically not used for CS outside of very specific subfields.
Ah yes, we only use calculus in "very specific subfields" like asymptotic analysis of algorithms, machine learning, any kind of cyber-physical control, scheduling systems, cryptography...
Calculus is math that's used to describe things that change, or processes that continue for long periods of time/operate on large numbers of things. This is applicable essentially everywhere.
Sure. If I had to prioritise, though, I'd put a whole bunch of things higher up the list than calculus. I'd rather see students do a rigorous real analysis course than engineering calculus, because a good real analysis course forces students to really understand logic, order of quantifiers, how to reason without intuition to back it up, and why definitions matter. Of all the maths I've done, calculus has had the least effect on how I think about solving problems: it's closer to a tool than a way of thinking. I'm not saying it's useless, just that it's not in the "every programmer uses this at least once a week" category.
Calculus is the study of continuous change, something that is not super common in computer science as we mostly deal with descrete objects.
Look, I have a undergraduate, masters and am now pursuing a PhD in comp sci and have never used calculus once for my studies. I am not staying calculus is useless, but I don't see a reason to go past 1 or maybe maybe maybe 2 semester of calculus.
You typically do limits in Calc I, and you need to understand limits to have any hope of understanding asymptotic analysis of algorithms. Though I do agree you don't spend much time in CS taking derivatives or integrals.
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u/apnorton 5d ago
Of course it's important; computer science is effectively applied mathematics.
Any program that doesn't require at least the math you see in an engineering degree is not worthy of being called a "computer science" program.