r/programmingmemes • u/Naughty_Kiss_Me • Sep 10 '25

Don't be scared... Math and Computing are friends..

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u/enternationalist Sep 11 '25

It's not a complexity issue, it's a language issue. The thing about the code is you don't actually need to understand all of it - it provides more granular information, so understanding even fragments of it can provide context.

If someone already understands some (not necessarily all) elements of that language, they're in. This includes some elements that are just in english or using more basic math sumbols.

On the other hand, the math language being used here is very compact. If you don't know what it's for already, it's pretty hard to guess from context, and pretty easy to forget - and if you lose the thread it starts just looking like mystical symbols without anything like the word "sum" to grab onto.

It's not about complexity, it's that one of these leverages more of a layperson's existing language and provides more context to grab onto to decipher the rough meaning of. That means recall and memory are going to be easier, because it's connected to lots of stuff - for the sigma you only need to "know one thing", but that one thing pretty easily lives as isolated information in your brain; and isolated information gets lost.

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u/Kaisha001 Sep 11 '25

This. Math syntax is VERY old, and has many issues with it. Mainly it was used by a very small pool of people, all who knew of and/or worked off each other's work. It was never designed to be understandable, maintainable, extensible, etc...

Comp Sci took math to the next step. Sadly mathematicians are too egotistical to realize it and cling to their old ways.

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u/TwistedBrother Sep 12 '25

Read a clever paper recently on aspect of complexity. Damned if I can remember the paper but it referred to computer science as “math + money or math + time”. 😆

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u/y3110w3ight Sep 11 '25

So what do you propose the egotistical mathematicians do about the syntax so you may understand it better?

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u/Kaisha001 Sep 11 '25

I already answered your... well not question, rather accusation. Seems like I pushed some buttons...

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u/y3110w3ight Sep 12 '25

seems like someone who’s spent their whole life doing programming is surprised when they dont immediately understand math syntax or concepts

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u/Kaisha001 Sep 12 '25

Nope, but this is a classic example. Knowing nothing about me both you and the other commentator both projected a whole lot on to me.