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I don't know of this the right place to ask this type of question and hence I apologize (in advance) for any inconvenience. Here is my question: I have studied Concrete Mathematics by Knuth, Graham and Patashnik. I am now studying The Art of Computer Programming by Knuth. I am really intrigued by the mathematics used in it (which is my main motivation to study this book in the first place) and thus am not using it (at all) for programming purposes.

I wanted to know if what I am doing is right? Is it right to study the "Bible of Algorithms" just for the mathematics in it or should I consult more specialized mathematical books which deal with the topics covered in the TAOCP.

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    What do you mean, "right?" Are you learning what you think you should be learning? Do you feel like you are missing something? *Why* are you trying to learn the mathematics in this book?2012-06-28
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    I am not trying to learn mathematics from this book. I have learnt the required topics from Concrete Mathematics. I am just studying the TAOCP to get anexperience of the real-life applications of the math that I've studied. By "right", I meant studying only the analysis of algorithms given in the book and not implementing them on the computer.2012-06-28
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    I cannot imagine anyone thinking there is any "wrong" reason to read TAOCP. You're free to read it even if your purpose is to divine the purpose of the universe by graphing the relative distribution of vowels and consonants on each page. If it works for you and you enjoy what you're doing, then it's nobody's business to tell you that you're not doing it right.2012-06-28
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    So, I can study it just for the sake of maths and the analysis of algorithms and completely forget about the implementation of algorithms on computer?2012-06-28
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    What do you think is going to happen if you do this, the Computer Police are going to come to your house and arrest you? If you are learning what you want to learn, how can it not be "right?" If you are a computer programmer to be, you might want to go back later and try your hand at programming the algorithms, because the real-world practice is often different than the theory, but it is far from necessary to do so.2012-06-28
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    i am learning it for fun2012-06-28
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    Then anything that you find to be fun is right.2012-06-28
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    If you are only interested in the *mathematics*, not in algorithmic matters, then there are better places to learn most of the topics covered in TAOCP and Concrete Math.2012-06-28
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    @KunalSuri: *Art of Computer Programming* is a great series of books. It is no longer young, and the state of the art advances, but there are many beautiful ideas.2012-06-28
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    @AndréNicolas this is also one of the reasons.2012-06-28

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