Math used in everyday software development
You may have heard people claim that you don’t need to be good at math to succeed as a developer. Others will insist that the opposite is true and that a solid mathematical foundation is essential for truly efficient programming.
The reality is somewhere in the middle.
Certain roles within the software development field require a higher level of mathematical understanding than others. For example, a role such as a machine learning engineer will require a greater understanding of mathematical concepts than a web developer. However, most of the day-to-day tasks within software development do not require a deep understanding of mathematics.In other words, while having a strong mathematical foundation is definitely beneficial, it’s not necessary for every developer role.
1. Front-End Web Developer
This role typically requires basic mathematical skills, such as understanding algebra and geometry. In addition, you will need to be comfortable working with formulas and variables. This is because most front-end development tasks involve calculations and solving problems.
For example, when creating a web page, you may need to figure out how many pixels wide a column should be, and then calculate the width of the row. Similarly, you may need to calculate the fields’ sizes and positions when creating a form.
2. Back-End Web Developer
Back-end developers typically work with databases and code that interacts with them. As such, they need to be comfortable with basic algebra and geometry. In addition, they should be able to understand basic trigonometry and calculus. This is because back-end development tasks often involve working with mathematical formulas and calculations.
When back-end developers create a web page, they may need to find the total number of items in a list or calculate the sum of two numbers. Similarly, when working with databases, you may need to calculate the average of a set of numbers or find the difference between data sets.
