Reddit reviews Discrete Mathematics

From what I've gathered, Calculus is not really involved per se in the BSCS program outside of the actual Calculus class itself.

I took Calculus through SL and just put it behind me - I did not by any means master it. In a few days I will be starting Discrete Math and the subject matter is vastly different. In fact, in the first chapter of a DM textbook I just purchased, the book goes out of the way to distinguish the difference between the two types of problem-solving. Calculus deals in terms of continuous mathematics, such as determining the rate(s) at which certain variables change, whereas Discrete Math focuses on structures that are fundamentally discrete rather than continuous.

In theory, the pre-requisites for Discrete Math (the only other 2 math courses after calculus) are algebra and pre-calculus. So, technically, by this logic alone, one should be able to understand Discrete Math without mastery of Calculus.

I would suggest just getting through it and putting it behind you as opposed to mastering it with the expectation that you will be building upon Calculus concepts later on in the program. IMO, it wouldn't hurt to master it, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary in order to complete the BSCS program with proficiency. A solid understanding of Discrete Math, however, is crucial.

I just ordered this book it should arrive within a few hours. My plan is to read through it and do problems on the side while going through my other courses. It looks damned interesting to me and seems like the missing piece to the algorithms/data structures rubric. I think if you fear the material it will be worse. See it as opening up new doors and go into it with a lot of curiosity.

I personally like Chartrand and Zhang’s Discrete Mathematic Structures.