Applications of discrete mathematics minus software

[Avatrin]

Hi

All applications of discrete mathematics I know of seem to be in computer science. I want to know if there is somewhere discrete mathematics are applied outside of software.

What can I work as if I like discrete mathematics but do not want to program? (outside of academia, of course)

 

[Vanadium 50]

Ah, "When will we ever use this stuff?"

I think you are going to have a difficult time. Pen and paper mathematics is great for something you need solved once. If you want to solve multiple instances, a computer is the right tool. The set of applied mathematics where you don't need a computer is much smaller than the set where you do.

 

[StatGuy2000]

To the OP:

You are asking 2 very different questions:

(1) What are the applications of discrete mathematics outside of computer science/software?
and (2) Can I work using tools from discrete math without doing any programming?

For question #2, I will concur with what Vanadium 50 has just stated -- applying math to solve multiple instances of problems can best be done using a computer, so you really cannot avoid doing some programming. Of course, there is a difference between doing programming to solve specific problems, and doing actual software development. Perhaps doing the former may be more to your liking.

Now back to question #1 (applications of discrete math outside of computer science/software) -- various aspects of combinatorics are applied in statistics, specifically in the area of the design of experiments. The field of optimization (which is considered part of discrete math) is widely used in various areas of finance to assess & categorize different areas of financial risk (i.e. credit risk in finance, market risk for stocks/bonds/investments, etc.), and is also used in various business areas in planning and logistics (e.g. home care appointments in health care, production in factories, etc.).