What maths can I miss learning programming/CS?

📰 Reddit r/learnprogramming

Focus on maths concepts crucial for programming, such as discrete maths, linear algebra, and calculus, and don't worry too much about other areas like advanced trigonometry or obscure mathematical theories

beginner Published 12 Jun 2026
Action Steps
  1. Focus on learning discrete maths, including set theory, combinatorics, and graph theory, as these are fundamental to computer science
  2. Learn linear algebra, including vector spaces, linear transformations, and eigenvalues, as these are crucial for many programming applications
  3. Study calculus, including limits, derivatives, and integrals, as these are used in many areas of computer science, such as machine learning and optimization
  4. Don't worry too much about advanced trigonometry or obscure mathematical theories, as these are less relevant to programming
  5. Explore mathematical concepts as they arise in programming contexts, rather than trying to learn maths in isolation
Who Needs to Know This

Programmers and computer science students can benefit from understanding the mathematical foundations of their field, but not all maths concepts are equally relevant

Key Insight

💡 Maths is essential for programming, but not all maths concepts are equally relevant, focus on the fundamentals and explore maths in programming contexts

Share This
💡 Focus on discrete maths, linear algebra & calculus for programming, skip advanced trigonometry & obscure theories 💻

Key Takeaways

Focus on maths concepts crucial for programming, such as discrete maths, linear algebra, and calculus, and don't worry too much about other areas like advanced trigonometry or obscure mathematical theories

Full Article

I've just started to learn programming, and want to self teach or do a few online courses of CS. I noticed that a lot of the people (Jaron Lanier eg), that I would read were very good / at least aware of the maths that underpins cs. So I thought it wouldn't hurt to learn it. I've just started Maths A Level and plan to do A Level and further maths onwards, really out of personal interest. But I'm wondering if any parts are literally useless. Didn't really study i
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