"if we're going to talk about math, let's get out of the abstract and into the specific. Let's talk details. Examples. What could be more math-y than that?" (fr

"if we're going to talk about math, let's get out of the abstract and into the specific. Let's talk details. Examples. What could be more math-y than that?" (from the codinghorror post) This topic seems to come up relatively frequently, and I appreciate Jeff's attempt to add to the conversation with some interestingly selected quotes. Still, the above quote to me highlights how many people, including Jeff, vastly oversimplify the math side of the equation. To put lbrandy's comment slightly differently, knowing a large number of mathematical facts will not make you a good programmer. But to me a basic explanation of “mathematical inclination” could be: a strong understanding of how a mathematical system is governed by rules, and how a problem can be parsed, compartmentalized, and addressed in pieces. It seems fairly self-evident to me that those skills would be shared by anyone whol could be described as even a competent programmer.