Is Intro to Java difficult without programing experience?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges of taking an introductory Java programming course without prior programming experience. Participants share their perspectives on the necessity of mathematical knowledge for programming and their personal experiences with learning programming languages.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that introductory Java courses are designed for those without programming experience, indicating that it is a common starting point.
  • There is a discussion about the requirement of math courses, particularly calculus, for programming classes, with some questioning its necessity for basic programming skills.
  • One participant notes that while math is not heavily used in introductory programming, it may be beneficial for problem-solving skills.
  • Several participants share personal anecdotes about learning programming languages at a young age without extensive math knowledge, suggesting that programming can be accessible regardless of math background.
  • A participant mentions a course titled "computational physics," indicating that while programming is involved, the focus is on solving physics problems rather than programming skills alone.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying opinions on the necessity of math for programming, with some agreeing that it is not essential for introductory courses, while others believe it helps develop problem-solving skills. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the role of math in programming education.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express confusion about the math requirements for programming courses, indicating a lack of consensus on the necessity of math for introductory programming skills.

Mathgician
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I was wondering if I would be able to handle Intro to Java if I go in without any programing experience. I have experience in Calculus up to vector calculus and differential equations, electricity and magnetism physics course, but no programming. You guys think I can handle it?
 
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You're not suppose to have any programming experience to take Java. It's where you start!
 
Yep at a lot of highschoo/colleges you start intro to programming in Java.

Be lucky you don't go to MIT, i think their intro to programming is in scheme or lisp! or from what i heard anyways.

I also never understood this, but why do you need any type of math to do intro to programming/intermediate programming? I know all schools mainly require, calc 1, never understood why. It seems the only time you actually need math is if your doing graphics or scientific computations, has anyone actually taken a programming course where you actually used the math required?
(not including computer graphics or any other core upper level programming course.)
 
Last edited:
mr_coffee said:
Yep at a lot of highschoo/colleges you start intro to programming in Java.

Be lucky you don't go to MIT, i think their intro to programming is in scheme or lisp! or from what i heard anyways.

I also never understood this, but why do you need any type of math to do intro to programming/intermediate programming? I know all schools mainly require, calc 1, never understood why. It seems the only time you actually need math is if your doing graphics or scientific computations, has anyone actually taken a programming course where you actually used the math required?
(not including computer graphics or any other core upper level programming course.)

I think they require it so that the students have some sense how to solve problems.
 
Yea, Java is fine to learn with. It seems that the main reason they might require some advanced maths for programming is just like jasonrox said, they want to see if you can use logic to solve the problems...computer programs can work much like a math equation.

I started learning C, C++, some java, basic, as well as javascript and html when I was in middle school. I didn't have any math beyond maybe algebra 1 at the time, but I liked programming much more than math, because you could make the computer do cool things.
 
usahockey

I was the same way, at 14 I had very little knowledge of math but still could do college level programming but they wouldn't give me a credit for taking the course because I didn't meet the math requirement lol
 
mr_coffee said:
usahockey

I was the same way, at 14 I had very little knowledge of math but still could do college level programming but they wouldn't give me a credit for taking the course because I didn't meet the math requirement lol

That's because our education system is messed up.
 
We routinely use a lot of maths in our programming, but it isn't really a programming course, the title is computational physics, so it's not so much programming skills as using programs to solve physics problems. Hence the actual programming is fairly basic but the problems are quite involved.
 
I took a class in Java with no previous programming experience and was fine. I like Java because knowledge of it helped me pick up a little C and C++ quickly.

mr_coffee said:
Be lucky you don't go to MIT, i think their intro to programming is in scheme or lisp! or from what i heard anyways.
uuuugggghhhh...LISP...
 

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