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Lec 1 | MIT 6.042J Mathematics for Computer Science, Fall 2010

MIT OpenCourseWare · 2.8M views · 2012-12-31 · 44:09

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Overview

The first lecture of MIT 6.042J Mathematics for Computer Science, taught by Tom Leighton, introducing mathematical proofs. It covers propositions, implication and basic proof methods.

On Hacker News

HN users recommend it as a good discrete math course for programmers, praising Leighton's relatable stories that motivate new concepts.

Recommended by 3 HN people across 3 months · HN mentions 2017–2018

Topics

University lectures & coursesPure mathematicsLogic & formal methods
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discrete mathproofsmit ocwtom leightoncomputer science

What people said

rectang · 2018-08 · Recommendation

Teaching requires a set of distinct skills which are different from researching. Naturally not everyone is equally gifted or developed in all areas. One of the most valuable skills in life is the ability to adapt your mental models and present ideas at an audience-appropriate level. It is useful in teaching; it is also useful in leadership, sales, design... As an exemplar, I submit Akamai CTO and MIT professor Tom Leighton. [VIDEO]

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totalnovice · 2018-07 · Recommendation

Some MIT professors use a method termed "practice-theory-practice". [LINK] __ I see this as a "practical" lecure, also from MIT: the professor tells relatable stories to motivate the new concepts. Though I imagine good storytelling is harder than it looks. [VIDEO] (I've actually been so inspired by this approach that I sometimes incorporate it into conversation whenever I really want someone to understand something.) __ This is perhaps worth reading: Knuth - Theory and Practice. [LINK] Disclaimer: I have not read it yet.

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espeed · 2017-03 · Recommendation

The Fall 2010 version of MIT 6.042J Mathematics for Computer Science is a good one (as I recall there are several versions online from different years), and someone from Google is teaching it this year (haven't heard if the videos will be made available online): [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by MIT OpenCourseWare, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

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