title: Is mathematics necessary for programming?
body: <p>I happened to debate with a friend during college days whether advanced mathematics is necessary for any veteran programmer. He used to argue fiercely against that. He said that programmers need only basic mathematical knowledge from high school or fresh year college math, no more no less, and that almost all of programming tasks can be achieved without even need for advanced math. He argued, however, that algorithms are fundamental &amp; must-have asset for programmers.</p>
  
  <p>My stance was that all computer science advances depended almost solely on mathematics advances, and therefore a thorough knowledge in mathematics would help programmers greatly when they're working with real-world challenging problems.</p>
  
  <p>I still cannot settle on which side of the arguments is correct. Could you tell us your stance, from your own experience?</p>