Programmer and mathematics

Feb 13, 2012 at 9:53am
As a programmer ( games programmer ) What should I know about mathematics?

If you suggest books, that would be great.

Thanks
Feb 13, 2012 at 10:48am
Vectors, matrices, transformations (these three comprise linear algebra) , floating point error, collision detection, physics (so some knowledge of calculus), trigonometry...

I would recommend two books to help with these:

3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development
Real-time Collision Detection

and if you think you'll be working all alone, you might also want to get:

Programming Game AI by Example
Feb 13, 2012 at 1:25pm
They fall under the Physics band, but I would added differentiation and integration to that list. Namely, the solving of second order differential equations. They're useful for various branches of Newtonian mechanics. On that note, if you're not already familiar with Newton's laws, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on those either.

Other stuff: With matrices it's good to understand eigenvectors and eigenvalues. Good to have knowledge of complex numbers and familiarity with Cartesian and polar coordinates (and the conversion between the two).
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