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- Xref: sparky comp.edu:1570 comp.lang.fortran:3469 comp.lang.misc:2965 comp.arch:9276 sci.math:11107
- Newsgroups: comp.edu,comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.misc,comp.arch,sci.math
- Path: sparky!uunet!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!world!jkenton
- From: jkenton@world.std.com (Jeff Kenton)
- Subject: Re: Scientists as Programmers (was Re: Small Language Wanted)
- Message-ID: <Bu9FB3.BDK@world.std.com>
- Organization: Kenton Systems Corporation, Weston MA
- References: <1992Aug27.154823.583@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca> <BtpAIn.EE5@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> <1992Sep3.123432.18806@bony1.bony.com>
- Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 12:42:39 GMT
- Lines: 28
-
- In article <1992Sep3.123432.18806@bony1.bony.com> richieb@bony1.bony.com (Richard Bielak) writes:
- >Someone said earlier in this thread that "It is easier to teach a
- >physics student to program, than it is to teach CS student physics."
- >
- >This is just the kind of thing a physicist would say :-).
- >
- >A computer scientist would say that "It is easier to teach physics to
- >a CS student, than it is to teach a physics student to program."
- >
-
-
- As a physicist by training (MS, almost a PhD) and a programmer for
- over 20 years, it's clear to me that it is difficult to teach anyone
- to program. Everyone picks up the basics in their first class, but
- few get really good. Even the stars take a while. They may claim to
- have written a whole compiler in their first semester, but you wouldn't
- enjoy reading the code. And some CS students write code that looks
- like it came from the physics department, even after 10 years of work
- experience.
-
- Some people are just better than others.
-
-
- --
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
- = Jeff Kenton (617) 894-4508 =
- = jkenton@world.std.com =
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-