[rtpg]

loads of things do not require math (in the sort of "doing stuff with functions in (R -> R), or multiplications/division).

Pretty much no sorting algorithm requires mathematical knowledge to work through, nor do many data structure algorithms. Concurrency resolution issues neither.

This is of course, so long as you consider math to be "do stuff with these numbers." Group theory and the like can help guide your results on a more abstract level.

EDIT: what I meant by this is the sort of "number-y" math that people usually mean when saying "warning: Math ahead". I realise that abstract modeling is also a part of mathematics, but that's not what people usually _mean_ when said in the context of what parent post was mentioning

[avz]

> ...math (in the sort of "doing stuff with functions in (R -> R), or multiplications/division")

This is not what math is. It's more what calculus is and math is a lot more than calculus. Most mathematics is not about numbers at all.

BTW: Interesting results about sorting algorithms (e.g. the lower bound of O(nlogn) complexity for comparison-based sorts) require maths (specifically combinatorics, permutations etc). Concurrency involves math, too. See the famous happens-before relationship which involves notions of sets (of executions), transitivity, partial ordering, etc.

[vishnugupta]

> See the famous happens-before relationship which involves notions of sets (of executions), transitivity, partial ordering, etc.

[OT] What's the probability of two comments with very similar views appearing at the same time :-). I too did comment almost exactly same thing!

PS: Ducks from down-votes.

[vishnugupta]

> Concurrency resolution issues neither.

I beg to differ on this one. Proving, or at least reasoning about, concurrent algorithm does involve wrapping your head around happened before model, logical clocks, state machines and such. Most of these concepts are grounded in discrete math; group theory, partial ordering and so on.

[pdpi]

> Pretty much no sorting algorithm requires mathematical knowledge to work through, nor do many data structure algorithms. Concurrency resolution issues neither.

None of those requires _calculus_. I disagree about them not requiring maths.