Math help for CS/CE

Paul's math notes
You can most likely put off the CS vs CSE decision until next year
It's harder than you think

>>55209934
I'm still stuck on whether to Major in CS or CE as well.
like >>55210147
said, you can pretty much put it off. Most standard first year classes are similar.

>>55209934
>My school won't let me do both at the same time
Well no shit, you would fail all your classes.

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>>55210147
>>55210399
I imagine I could hold off on declaring, especially since there seems to be a lot of overlap in courses for both degrees up until the end of sophomore year - at least, going off of the undergrad academic coursebook here. I might hold off on declaring until I get a feel for what the program is like. Though the CS major does offer a lot of elective credit hours, I wonder if it would be smarter to give the college try for a math minor, which seems to be more beneficial, according to my friends in the program. Otherwise, I might try a few of the CE courses to see what is what.

I will go check out Pauls notes, thanks! If you have any more related, I'd love to see it - just pile it on man, I've got nothing save for studying, working and practicing this summer.

>>55210423
Well. Yeah. Adoy.
>pic related

>>55210605
Then why mention your school won't let you do both at the same time?

>>55209934
Depends on how your school's departments are structured. Do you like thinking about how to compute things (How to find an optimal path through a warehouse for a robot? What kind of things can even be computed? What kind of models do we have for computation?), abstract ideas of storing information (PQs, Hash Tables, Graph traversal algos and there underlying data types), structure of languages (How does a compiler 'parse' the information you have written in a .cpp file? How are languages related to mathematics? What important properties are there for a language to have?). Or do you like learning about OSs (how do you schedule programs, interrupts, paging, ect) how transistors work (CMOS/BJTs/ect), how to fabricate integrated devices (Doping profiles, solubility, ion implantation), how computers actually work (Cache/OOO execution/DRAM/GPUs/Pipelining ect). I am very close to finishing a degree in CE, so let me know if you have any questions about my experience.

>>55210605
If you're serious about that maths minor, don't half ass it. University mathematics is fucking hard. It's good that you're getting your shit together from the start.

>>55210605
there are a lot of MIT courses you can take.
In the beginning, pause the videos, take notes, resume, etc.
As time passes, you should be able to take notes without pausing.
When you have completed a course, pick out a couple of subjects that was discussed in the course.
Either make a presentation or make notes, so that you are able to talk out loud about all these subjects and be able to recall details.
You will stop in the middle of a sentence, knowing it doesn't make sense, and then you have to go back to the material and see what you missed.

The notes you take should be using pen and paper. It is not about being fast to write or efficient to store, you are writing them so you can remember them.
It is also a good way to keep you awake and focused on what is being said.

You have a long summer before you are starting, so use the time. At least take one full course.

All 18.xx is good, maybe you don't want the same corriculum as you are getting first semester, so maybe you should start with linear algebra (18.06)

>>55209934
Usa o guidorizzi que é sucesso

These are some bretty gud exercises and slides on Calculus.
http://www.icmc.usp.br/~eugenio/calculo/
You will only need to learn some portuguese first.

>>55211044
Stewart >>>>>> Guidorizzi

>>55210681
There are aspects to both fields that I like - for CS, creating model systems for simulations for various industries and the like. I'm not totally fluent on all the subject material for the CS side that you've listed, but for the CE side, I've always had a soft spot for robotics, machinery, the mechanics of it all. That kiddie toy way back when, Lego Mindstorms? Loved the shit out of that, had me considering the prosthetics field for a while as well. I guess both have aspects I love, but I can see myself leaning on CE more. Truthfully, I do have questions, but I'm not even sure where to begin.
>What got you into CE (influences, childhood dreams, etc)
>What do you like/dislike about your program at your school
>What classes should I get an understanding of before I get into them
>Were there any other majors in the CS/CE world you considered before or during your degree (game design, IT, security, teaching, etc)
Anything I should know offhand?

>>55210859
Thanks man, appreciate the kind words! I don't plan to half-ass anything - I go for the whole ass. If there is anything that everyone I've met appreciates, it's someone who is proactive toward their goals. Again, thanks!

>>55210871
A lot of what you've said are things that I already incorporate into my own studies, especially relaying information back to myself as if I were teaching it. The combination of having to actively think about it and hearing my own voice speak it in a fluid manner tells me that I know the subject, and can explain it clearly to myself.

As for these courses, I understand a lot of the MIT distance courses, like their CS 101 course, are free to follow online, though to get credit for it, you would end up paying tuition. I guess I'm answering my own question on whether it's worth the price or not. Thank you for the advice though, I'll look at those two courses you listed!

>>55211283
Stewart doesn't even teach how to treat "Undefined" limits. His book is for code monkeys who don't want to learn real math.

>>55210641
'Cause I thought it'd be obvious that the school wouldn't want their students screwing themselves over by being overzealous and taking too many courses and/or getting burnt out by being in the program too long.

I mean, what am I gonna do, jack of all trades and master of none? C'mon. Shouldn't have to spell it out. Even if I could do both, there is no way I'd be able to keep up with the work, AND pay for my way through school.

>>55211341
Is there anything worth learning from these though?

>>55211086
Thankfully I am fully fluent in every language ever.
>fuck I wish

How much could I pull from google translate on this though?

>>55211390
Yes, Calculus

>>55211405
>>55211086
Okay, so apparently not much, since they're all PDFs. Thanks though!

>>55209934

Do you know what you want to do career-wise? That'd be the main consideration. I'd also seriously consider where you want to live. Isn't much CoE stuff in NYC for example. Most engineers I know end up living in more suburban areas.

>>55211319
I'm not that guy, but i'm also finishing a CE degree and I can share some of my experience.

>What got you into CE (influences, childhood dreams, etc)
I always liked to figure out how stuff work and make things better, so engineering was really a no-brainer for me.

>What do you like/dislike about your program at your school
I have lots of disciplines on hardware architecture and design, OS's, software engineering (mind software engineering in college has very little actual programming) and networking. We have quite a bit of (very useful!) mathematical abstractions about computers and algorithms, but way less than the people on CS. We also have a basis on electrical engineering, of course, with classes on telecommunications, electromechanical systems and even some mechanics.
It all sounds cool (and mostly is), but sadly most of it is absolutely irrelevant for the job market. You will know lots of assembly when the market in programming asks for java and python, but mind that learning a new language is much much easier once you have a few already under your belt, and knowing low level stuff is very handy to get things that don't work working.

>What classes should I get an understanding of before I get into them
I would say to just get going and evaluate which classes will demand more effort when you face them. If you have patience and discipline no class will really be a problem.

>Were there any other majors in the CS/CE world you considered before or during your degree (game design, IT, security, teaching, etc)
Other than CS and CE? Don't know if it counts, but I considered physics.

On a last note, you should see CE primarily as engineering, but with (more) computers. Of course you will be able to fill a technological role in a team, but many engineering schools will also focus on team management and planning skills, which, I think, will broaden your skill set.

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OP here, probably don't need to bump but I will cause I gotta run some errands.

>>55211857
Short answer, prosthetics that mimic the human body (Think Ghost in the Shell), r+d on projects like the Boston Dynamics Dog on a smaller scale - things that will help people. Hell, the Halo and Fallout series also has put a seed in my brain for a great many things. I'll go into longer detail on those thoughts when I get back.

>>55211937
You. I gotta talk to you more. Especially on the improving on the existing part - that is 100% me.

>as always pic not related
Do I even need a picture to bump, or does it do that with a reply?

>>55211319
>>55210681

I am this one. I got to UIUC.
What got me into CE? As a kid, was kinda poor so I had to work to buy my first computer and really didn't have a lot of electronics. I never programmed before going to College. I loved science fiction though.

What do you like/dislike about your program at your school? I love the extremely good professors that we have. They are pretty much all at the top of there field. I also love (as a CE) that I get to take all of the best CS classes. What I absolutely hated was how shit the administration was (both at department and at the college level), as well as how 'elitist' a lot of my fellow students where.
What classes should I get an understanding of before I get into them? Ideally none, college should build up your foundation. You can always go to the current semesters course website and see what textbook they are using and go through it if you want though. At my school they also offer videos of previous semesters lectures which I like to go through.
Were there any other majors in the CS/CE world you considered before or during your degree (game design, IT, security, teaching, etc)? Physics, but in this day and age knowing how to create a (efficient) simulation is much more difficult than getting an understand of the physics the model represents (in my opinion).

It's also important to note that most schools allow you to form your degree quite a bit. For example, I'm doing CSE and I'm taking some algo class as well as a bunch of EE classes just as electives. Also consider EE with a minor in software engineering, as I'm just now realizing that is a very smart move.

>>55212407
Well, I'm that guy you want to talk more. Ask away, I'll be hanging around for some time still

I know a couple of people that are doing both and I do CS. If your goal is to write code and be a good developer, do CS period. CE will take you through a lot more shit and unless you're really passionate about circuits and shit, you'd be better off doing CS

>>55209934

I did CS and only did well in my math classes through sheer will power and effort. I never really "got it" intuitively like most of my other classmates did. I ended up, again through mostly effort and will power, with a GPA of around 3.5/4.0 for my CS major (my non-major GPA was significantly higher).

I had trouble getting employment as a software developer / software engineer. I ended up going through a few low-level programming jobs and ended up changing my career.

So my personal opinion is that if you're working hard but you're not quite "getting" the math and you end up spending more time than your more gifted peers on projects, you might want to think about doing something else.

If you want to get a head up on math, just use Khan Academy.

I had to take a calculus class online due to some scheduling issues, and that was my only option. If it weren't for khan I undoubtedly would've failed (I pretty much did fail but my professor pity-bumped me.)