Is it an overkill to learn advance math like Abstrac algebra, Topology etc., or just basic math and decent programming background is enough ?

Maths are often useless.

Advanced math is unnecessary for 99% of software engineering.

However that 1% is the difference between an ok engineer vs a great one.

I'll give you an example. Imagine you have a large data file to work with. If you use some copy pasted code, it might take you 3months to finish cleaning the data. But if you have the math skills, you can write an optimised algorithm to reduce the runtime exponentially to maybe like a week.

Actual experience btw. I had to relook at some topics like matrices, geometric sequences, trigonometry to write algorithms better than what was available online. Some times the problems I solved had no solutions from other people on github/stackoverflow, so I had to use my math skills to solve it on my own.

Not sure when topology would be used, but linear algebra is quite often used in computer science.

(October 17, 2022, 07:05 AM)FreedomX20a Wrote: Advanced math is unnecessary for 99% of software engineering.

However that 1% is the difference between an ok engineer vs a great one.

I'll give you an example. Imagine you have a large data file to work with. If you use some copy pasted code, it might take you 3months to finish cleaning the data. But if you have the math skills, you can write an optimised algorithm to reduce the runtime exponentially to maybe like a week.

Actual experience btw. I had to relook at some topics like matrices, geometric sequences, trigonometry to write algorithms better than what was available online. Some times the problems I solved had no solutions from other people on github/stackoverflow, so I had to use my math skills to solve it on my own.

Not sure when topology would be used, but linear algebra is quite often used in computer science.

Thank you. I get it now. Someone also mentioned on Quora that people who knew math find it easy to grasp the abstractions in CS.  And regarding topology, i heard that some nation state actors are using it for Cryptanalysis. No idea how they use it, it's well beyond my reach for now.

I don't think you need math, but logical knowledge. Usually if you are good at logic then you are good at math.

Not per se, but a good understanding of them will hasten the advances you make in programming

(October 16, 2022, 05:45 PM)Boxy Wrote: Is it an overkill to learn advance math like Abstrac algebra, Topology etc., or just basic math and decent programming background is enough ?

No you donot. Hacking is over rated. It is an Art than science

nah not really, but I suppose it could help in certain circumstances

(October 16, 2022, 05:47 PM)ShinyHunters Wrote: Maths are often useless.

this.

You don't need to learn advanced math to do what ever you are doing. Basic math is fine.

If you want to develop your own advanced reverse engineering tools you'll need to know program analysis which requires you to know some high level math.