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b_b · 4695 days ago · link · · parent · post: Why should you learn math? Because fuck you, that's why.
Yes, but its funny how you abandon numerical math briefly when learning calculus and differential equations, only to find out that the overwhelming majority of differential equations lack solutions. So you ask the prof, well how do I solve it then? And (s)he says "you approximate a solution by adding and subtracting!", and thus your mathematical life comes full circle (although, a computer is certainly going to do the heavy lifting for you).
Its interesting to see some math papers written before high power computers were available readily. At the time, numerical solutions were all calculated by hand, so you'll see a hand drawn graph with just enough points filled in that the reader gets the picture. I think that's one of the ways computers have helped in teaching math; they've made it easy for students to visualize what a given function means. The down side, of course, being that they've become a huge crutch in place of real learning.