The origin of discrete mathematics can be traced back to 1980s when it was taught as a part of the computer science course. Discrete Mathematics is a new kind of mathematics that has evolved with Computer Science.
There is no branch in mathematics called “Discrete Mathematics”. It is a term used for already existing math topics used in computer science that mostly deals with a discrete amount of data.
So you may ask, What is continuous mathematics? We mentioned earlier that there is nothing called Continuous mathematics, but it is a general term to describe the math that uses continuous data – speed, velocity, distance, etc.
What do we study in Discrete Mathematics ?
A lot of topics belong to discrete mathematics, other than calculus and different types of analysis. So, discrete math is broadly classified into combinatorics, sets and relations, graphs and trees, algebraic structures and modern algebra.
The list could be endless because it is finite mathematics dealing with finite quantities.
How does it help learning computer Science?
The rules that govern computer architecture and communication of internal parts of a computer are based on Boolean algebra. Any possible change in the Boolean algebra will change the entire structure of computer systems.
Graphs and Trees form a data structure for many computer algorithms. A lot of research is being done on these topics. Discrete math gives a proper understanding of principles on which these structures work or do not work.
Many computer science programs is proved correctly using discrete mathematics tool like mathematical induction.
Prerequisites
The prerequisite to learn from this tutorial is at least pre-calculus. Knowledge of calculus is not a compulsory requirement for discrete math, but it builds a mathematical maturity.
Discrete Math Topics
All topics listed in top to bottom order. Start to learn from top as it is easier and foundation for subsequent topics.
Prepositional Logic
- Simple Statements
- Negation Of Statements
- Connective And Truth Tables
- Implication And Biconditional
- Duality
- Logical Equivalence
