A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics
by Jeremy Kun · first published 2018
77% recommend19% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Math for people who learned programming first: it explains notation and the mathematician's way of thinking, with proofs and some history, and uses code as the entry point. Suits programmers who got stuck on math.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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“A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics” by Jeremy Kun. It’s funny, approachable, and manages to get deep into math topics important to programmers. It goes into the history and culture of math, helping you understand why math is the way it…
on “Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?” ↗…future generations) we’ll have better mathematical tools to figure out the specifics of why neural networks and machine learning work and to the specific extent they do work. I am also currently reading a Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kuhn (excellent book by the way I would whole heartedly recommend to programmers who have some background in math or thinking in abstractions but who want to learn more math) and it has a quote…
on “TensorFlow, Keras and deep learning, without a PhD” ↗I was on the same boat as yours about 3 months ago and I picked up 3 books based on HN comments; 1. No bullshit guide to Maths and Physics [1] 2. No bullshit guide to Linear Algebra [1] 3. A programmer’s introduction to mathematics [2] I haven’t gone through the books completely but I’m halfway through the ‘no bullshit..’ books and I liked them based on how easy they were for me to approach. May be they also fit your learning…
on “Ask HN: What technologies did you learn in 2018?” ↗…me who learned programming first and want to improve their math, but struggle with the crazy notation inconsistencies and the "pure math" approach to things in general, I highly recommend this book: A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Dr. Jeremy Kun I've only just started it, but so far it does a great job of introducing math while assuming just the right amount of programming knowledge to make math approachable.
on “Ask HN: How to self-study mathematics from the undergrad through graduate level?” ↗Also, take a look at A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun [0]. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Programmers-Introduction-Mathematics-...
on “Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?” ↗…SICP is actually a great book to demystify that. --- If you do want to learn math relevant to CS, but mainly for the purpose of learning math: - If you're comfortable with code more than math: A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun. - "Concrete Math" by Knuth/Oren/Patashnik is wonderful. Don't feel you have to finish it! I stopped ~60%.
on “Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?” ↗I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly. It has more of a focus on geometry and logic. A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming. Nature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well. Elements…
on “Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?” ↗This comment is mainly for the OP but I really enjoyed your reply. I’m currently reading A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Khun which is absolutely phenomenal so far. But he gives the same advice as above. He states that as soon as you see a theorem or problem in math you need to instantly start writing down examples.…
on “Ask HN: How does one develop abstract thinking for math and computer science?” ↗1. Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby 2. Practical Common Lisp 3. A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics 4. Data Structures and Programming Design in C 5. The Art of Agent Oriented Modeling
on “Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?” ↗…like "Mathematics for Computer Programmers" or something to that effect. I forget the username and the exact title though. If you search around you can probably find it. Edit: here's that last one. A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088N68LTJ/
on “Why won’t anyone teach me math?” ↗A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun
on “Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?” ↗Jeremy Kun's A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics is also a good one.
on “Six Math Essentials” ↗…by far the simplest and clearest introduction into deep learning, starts from scratch and takes you through the whole thing, without any of the scary/overwhelming math. - Refactoring UI (design tips), Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics, Master Algorithm - still reading these books, but they look REALLY good. - Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth,…
on “Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?” ↗A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics is probably what you're looking for. https://pimbook.org/
on “Mathematics for Machine Learning [pdf]” ↗What's your background? I just started A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics because I also got stuck on math when I was previously studying cryptography. Not sure if it will actually solve my problem but so far seems like a great place to start. https://pimbook.org/
on “A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography” ↗