Choosing the right uni...

[aero135]

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I don't see why programming requires so much maths - vb only requires basic maths, (though its very basic, i know...) and i'm naturally good with computers, i think i would be able to do Java, C, etc. so long as i work hard.
If i can't do compsci, or IT, i'm going to have to think of something else.

edit: what about games development? more maths involved?

[Laphonso-Ellis]

Originally Posted by Starcraftmazter

Mathematics 1A shares a lot of content with highschool 4unit maths, so if you don't want to do anything above 3unit, then you wouldn't want to be doing the IT program either.

I haven't done Mathematics 1B but I assume it's harder still, and builds up on the 4unit + additional stuff from 1A.

Yes, thats right...but I still maintain that the 4unit HSC course is probably more rigorous and challenging than any first year maths course.

The good thing about first year maths at UNSW is tha the questions for the most part are standardized, meaning that they repeat the same stuff year after year. You just have to look for the trends and follow suit.

Maths 1b was definitely not easy since a lot of the Algebra component was new and unfamiliar. I found it hard but not impossible to keep up even though I was a decent (read:great 4 unit HSC student).

[Starcraftmazter]

Originally Posted by aero135

I don't see why programming requires so much maths

I used to think so too. Then I started to change my mind. After doing one computing course at unsw, I now realise that programming (in fact all computing) is but a subset of mathematics.

Pretty much every task and project and many labs and practically everything this semester required good knowledge of maths.

Originally Posted by aero135

vb only requires basic maths, (though its very basic, i know...) and i'm naturally good with computers, i think i would be able to do Java, C, etc. so long as i work hard.

First of all, VB sucks. Second of all, it's not the syntax you should be worried about, it's the logic, and making complex programs, which require complex mathematical formulas and algorithms and such.

Originally Posted by aero135

edit: what about games development? more maths involved?

A lot.

Originally Posted by Laphonso-Ellis

Yes, thats right...but I still maintain that the 4unit HSC course is probably more rigorous and challenging than any first year maths course.

It's not more rigorous, it's a lot more detailed and you get a lot more practise. Effectively, in theory, you are learning the same stuff, except you will understand it 10 times better having it done in highschool, as opposed to university, and you will be able to do even the hardest questions after HS, while university generally expects you to do the general cases.

Doing highschool 4unit math is a good thing, in fact it's crucial I would say. I would absolutely hate to not have done 4unit, and then do 1A. Sometimes the lecturers spent half a lecture or less covering something which we spent a week on in highschool. Who do you think will have a better understanding of the topic, someone who has done it in highschool already or someone who hasn't?

[Forbidden.]

Originally Posted by darkwolfzx

I never did IPT, only SDD, but InfoSys/IT is similar to IPT, while SDD is similar to computer science. Let me also give you some advice on math:

I never totally liked maths, I was good at 2 unit but 3 unit was beyond me because I cbf to study for it at the time. When uni began I had no choice but to take up a bridging course in order to gain competency in 3 unit math. From there on 1st year maths has built directly upon what they have taught me. Sure, I still don't like maths that much, but I know that its only 1st year that I'll have to contend with. From there on I can choose my electives and it should be plain sailing.

I have a friend doing mining engineering. He only did gen maths at school. But the strange thing was he wanted to do this engineering, even though he had to do the same level of maths as we did. He has hit his head trying to pass the bridging course, and is trying to pass first year maths with us. Nonetheless, if you want to pass and seek help, the lecturers will not rest until you understand what you want to understand.

To be honest, first year math at uni makes 2unit at high school seem as easy as adding 2 and 2 together. IT at UTS just requires 2 unit as a prerequisite, you still do programming there but not in the same way as we do.

excellent.
will hassle my lecturer(s) until i am confident i can get a HD for the course.

edit: i did shit in 3 unit and didnt take a bridging course and i was able to do many math1131 questions but the exam was just a killer. absolutely a violation to what i have learnt.

[Starcraftmazter]

Originally Posted by darkwolfzx

Next semester me and my friends will be doing higher data structures and algorithms. We will be playing with lists, manipulating them, learning how to balance them, turn them into trees. My tutor has told me that discrete will play a role in this course alone.

Oshi-

Btw. What are you going to do since you haven't done it?

[Laphonso-Ellis]

Yo aero135, you need to brush up on Maths before thinking about taking on compsci and other maths-related courses at uni.

[Laphonso-Ellis]

Originally Posted by Forbidden.

excellent.
will hassle my lecturer(s) until i am confident i can get a HD for the course.

edit: i did shit in 3 unit and didnt take a bridging course and i was able to do many math1131 questions but the exam was just a killer. absolutely a violation to what i have learnt.

How was that even possible?...even the MATH1151 exam was OK.


Mostly based on past papers and lecture notes and other course material.

You're letting your game slip...step it up!!

[aero135]

I see... so, that means that IT is crap compared to compsci...
anyone here do compsci w/o or with little maths? (not likely, but possible)
I always wanted to do computing, just didn't realize it would be so heavily based on maths...
any one from maq here that does compsci or IT, can you share your experiences ?

[Starcraftmazter]

Laphonso-Ellis - I can confirm that the 1131 exam was really hard :P

aero135 - I'm surprised your teachers didn't advise you better, as far as maths is concerned.

[me121]

computer science at UNSW is not about learning programming languages. (few courses actually teach you programming languages.)

and yeah, game development needs lots of maths..

i don't want to turn you off comp sci though. but if you expect study courses that just teach you C, C++, Java, Haskell, etc.. then you will be mistaken.

take a look at the handbook listing for comp sci and read about its subjects.. http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/unde...2008/3978.html

[aero135]

me121: thanks for that, but i dont think i can do either game development or compsci, considering the amount of maths required... is IT even worth doing, without maths?

[me121]

Originally Posted by darkwolfzx

Relax man, everyones got their own take on whether IT is crap or not. The way comp sci people see IT is that its for the people who cbf to learn the real stuff, while IT workers see themselves as being able to keep a business running with whatever software is available to them (VB .NET, Cisco, Access).

Comp Sci students will concern themselves with finer detailed things. An example is the compsci program in UNSW has an elective called operating systems. From there we learn kernel level stuff like page faults, swap and so forth. The itty bitty things to put it that way. The pros with that is we understand how an operating system works and if we were evil we'd know how to write certain dangerous bugs and hacks. Again only consider if you were interested.

Whether or not you take IT is your choice. I myself have been tempted, but ultimately decided to stick.

EDIT: To add a real life scenario, my friend has recently graduated from UTS with an IT degree, he used to work in my job as an IT assistant, and now works for wesfarmers. Therefore, granted you have the skills and experience, you will still be able to get a job with an IT degree.

good post. i agree.

[aero135]

Thanks darkwolfzx... that post was really helpful. I am definitely more interested in compsci, but i guess IT isn't that bad. I'll see how it goes. Thanks to everyone that posted

[jonaxiang]

Originally Posted by me121

Information Systems - 3979 run by the school of business still needs MATH1131 or MATH1141 and 1231 or 1241 in 1st year.

looks like the same as comp sci, -discrete +some INFS & ACCT

So either way, you need to learn some maths.

-_-. I get confused why its listed Assumed Knowledge in the handbook is 2unit Mathematics as well as the cutoff being listed as 85 in the business faculty handbook and the main unsw courses handbook of 83.25...

[dwarven]

ummm hey
can you do both IT and Comp Sci??