Hey guys! I'm currently learning this discrete mathematics as a part of my computer science degree and thought it might be a good idea to share with some of you what I've been doing others can learn while I can consolidate some of my knowledge!

Today's objectives

• Understand the meaning of discrete
• A brief overview of what mathematics is used for in computer science

Discrete, what does it mean?

Discrete basically just means values that have distinct separations, for example integers as opposed to continuous numbers which are smooth, such as real numbers.

Let's look at the graph below, which set of co-ordinates are discrete, the red or the blue?

(Image taken from lecture notes)

The answer is the red set of axis as they have discrete, fixed positions whereas the blue line is continuous. However, you could argue that since you're seeing it on the computer, they're both discrete as if you zoom in close enough, you'll see the discrete pixels that make up your computer! However, we're not here for more philosophical arguments. This also goes to show the innate discrete nature of computing!

Maths in Computing

Below is a list of what maths can be used for in computing, we don't need to know much about them yet!

• Number theory in cryptography
• Logic in digital circuit design
• Induction and recursion used to study algorithms and their effectiveness
• Probability used for understanding algorithms

To finish off

Today's post was largely based off the lecture slides we had! In future posts I'll be expanding upon the objectives based on my own knowledge, then double checking to ensure everything is correct!

I will probably be posting these quite irregularly, for example I might post 2 or 3 in one day then another one a few days later. I will include the links to all previous lessons at the bottom of each post!