No one in math? You may be a champion of computer code

Most people think that learning computer code requires solid math skills. In reality, coding makes much more use of linguistic qualities, which favors people who speak foreign languages. But other experts believe that doing without math leads to poor quality code.

The terms of HTML, CSS, Python, PHP or JavaScript seem totally nebulous to you? You are probably part of the 20% of French people who admit that they do not know exactly what the computer code covers. However, three out of four French people also believe that it is essential to know the coding IT to train for the jobs of tomorrow, according to a Kantar study for Orange. Despite the myriad online courses and tutorials available on Internet, training provided by public or private organizations, many of us still believe that coding is reserved for maths.

Gifted in languages, gifted in computer code

" Anyone can learn to code. And everyone should try ", However declared Bill gates in 2016. In 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook also said that learning to code should be more important than learning English for schoolchildren. Statements confirmed by a new study from the University of Washington, which show that a natural ability to learn languages ​​is a better predictor of learning programming than basic knowledge of math or calculus. The researchers passed a battery of tests to around thirty adults who had never learned to code in order to assess their cognitive skills in different areas (mathematical, linguistic, attention, resolution problems, memory …). They then followed a series of lessons and quiz online in Python, one of the programming languages the most common. Those Who Learned Python Faster and More Accurately Are Those Who Have a Mixture of Strong Problem Solving and Language Skills, Study Finds, published in journal Scientific Reports. In other words, people gifted in languages would be most apt to learn code.

The brain activity of each individual determining for learning the code

The researchers also measured the brain activity of participants at rest. Chantel Prat, professor of psychology at the University of Washington and main author of the article, had shown in previous experiments that neural activity at rest alone explains 60% of the variability in the speed oflearning a foreign language (in this case French). The same observation is valid for the code. " Language ability, fluent reasoning and working memory, as well as resting brain activity are all more important predictors of Python learning than arithmetic, which accounts for just 2% of the differences between people. Explains Chantel Prat.

Learning code without math, a very bad approach?

An opinion that is not shared by everyone. For Leslie Lamport, winner of the award Turing 2013, " mathematical thinking is a necessary step in specifying the algorithm of computer programs, as it helps programmers to clarify their thinking and make programs more efficient Explained the computer researcher at a conference organized by the Singapore Management University (SMU) in January 2020. " Writing code without knowing what an algorithm is like building a building without a plan " The American researcher developed a computer language called TLA + and based on mathematics, which notably made it possible to divide by ten the size of a operating system used by the space probe Rosetta. " In addition to being more efficient, the mathematical approach helps facilitate debugging, he assures. Many people are put off by mathematics, but it's not that complicated as it sounds. Why is "Two plus two equals four" considered simple, but a logical operation as "an element of" is difficult for most people to understand? "

Will coding become useless?

But ultimately, is it so important to know how to code? Many experts believe the code will be out soon written by artificial intelligence programs. We can easily create websites and applications without having the slightest notion of computer language thanks to platforms like WordPress or some API. Would learning to code then be perfectly useless? Not at all, according to Frédéric Bardeau, founder of the Simplon computer science school. Because even if you are not destined to become a developer, " to learn the basics of code is to know how to search, to make mistakes " Coding makes it possible to acquire transversal skills, the famous “ soft skills So much sought after by recruiters.

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