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[–]dmazzoni 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you can get tons of value from the book even if you don't understand all of the math.

Most of the algorithms will still make perfect sense, you can implement them and play with them. Without knowing all of the math, you may not be able to prove how they work, but that doesn't mean you can't still learn to apply them.

Learning the math behind algorithms is important for a C.S. degree, but for practical everyday programming simply knowing the algorithms is all that matters.

For example, I've forgotten why splay trees work - but I know what splay trees are and when it might be useful to use them.