Linear Algebra Tutoring
What Math topics & resources to consider as beginner to indulge the book – Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS)?
I’m a programmer who’s beginning to appreciate the knowledge & usability of Algorithms in my work as I move forward with my skill-set. I don’t want to take the short path by learning how to apply algorithms “as-is” but would rather like to know the foundation and fundamentals behind them. For that I need Math, at which I’m pretty “basic”. I’m considering getting tuition’s for that.
What I would like is to have a concise syllabus / set of topics which I could hand over to my tutor to get started. Additionally, considering my underwhelming situation, useful math resources (books) can also be suggested.
PS: I’ve got some lead but want to hear you guys out: Discrete Math, Combinatorics, Graph theory, Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Number Theory.
Thanks!
I think your leads are pretty good picks. They cover most of computer science overall. I’d say discrete math is probably the most important. A solid foundation of algorithms will probably involve being able to rigorously prove that an algorithm has a specific running time.
Graph theory is nice for graph-related algorithms (depth-first and breadth-first search, Dijkstra’s algorithm, graph flow, etc)
Number theory is probably only important if you’re studying crytography-related algorithms (RSA, how to find prime numbers, etc)
Basic calculus and linear algebra is nice, but I honestly don’t think most algorithms require advanced calculus or linear algebra.
I’d also suggest as possible topics: Big-O notation, recurrences, probability (e.g. expected values, linearity of expectations), and possibly entropy (in information theory, which could be used to prove lower bounds).
But this is just my opinion; you and other answerers are free to disagree. I would say though that I’ve used CLRS and you definitely can’t go wrong with that book.
Linear Algebra: Gauss Jordan Elimination To Solve A System of Equations
