Usage of Math in Computer Science

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When most think about computer science, they think about learning how to code. However, they may not think about calculus, time complexities, and other uses of math in computer science. Though the fields of math and computer science may seem to be very different, they are in fact interrelated in numerous ways. 

Fundamentally, computers themselves work thanks to math. The base of computer science lies in computer number systems, a mathematics topic. When a programmer runs code, his or her computer is in fact running a binary file containing only the numbers 1 and 0. Being able to read and perform mathematical expressions using basic arithmetic in binary is essential  for a computer to function. Standard arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in binary are used in numerous functions of computer programming. Statistics also plays a role in computer science. The main role of statistics is to use models and representations for a given set of experimental data. Some common statistical measures include mean and skewness, which are used to classify a distribution. Some common applications of statistics in computer science are data mining, speech recognition, image analysis, traffic modeling, and artificial intelligence.

Finally, one of the most widely used topics in math, calculus, is very valuable to computer science. Calculus techniques are used to find the rate of change at a specific moment in time and find the area under a curve. These ideas are used in many fields of computer science, including creating graphs, visuals, and simulations; problem solving; and the design and analysis of algorithms. 

Overall, it is clear that math’s use in computer science is very valuable, and is vital to programs being able to give the desired output. As we grow into a very technological world, it’s important to remember that computer science is developed from other fields, including mathematics. From its use in modeling and graphing to creating the most efficient algorithms, these two fields are very interdependent. So the next time you open your computer to code, make sure to remember to thank math for making it possible!