Expert: Olaf Piesche - 4/27/2005

Question
Explain this topic with some potential comments in 3 or 4 lines

             "We have been given a lot of graphics functions in graphics libraries like Open GL to draw basic graphic shapes like circle, lines and ellipses, than why we should study  mathematics involved in drawing basic graphic shapes like line, circle and ellipses etc"
           Thanks

                       Imran Ahmaf Mughal

Answer
Because the knowledge about subjects in computer science, just as with any other field, builds on other knowledge as a foundation. If you don't know about how simple shapes are rasterized, how the math for transforming vertices works, how interpolation along a line works and what the problems and potential pitfalls with different algorithms are, you'll have a much much harder time even grasping more advanced concepts.

Getting the basic knowledge is always important as a foundation for other knowledge to build on. An analogy: a biochemist won't be able to develop chemicals for drugs, for example, without knowing how the chemical reactions between different substances come to work. This he can't know without knowing about the most basic chemical relationships and processes, which in turn, he won't be able to understand if he doesn't learn about the structure and behavior of the basic components like atoms or electrons, and even different concepts such as electrical charge in electrons, first.

Studying how to draw a line or a circle, as simple as it may sound, will make it possible for you to approach more advanced subjects in a more intuitive way, and is the foundation for more advanced knowledge to stand on. Don't skip ahead - take it one step at a time, and be patient.

An example? Without knowing how to draw something as simple as a line, you wouldn't be able to develop something as advanced as a ray tracer, or implement many displacement mapping or volumetric lighting or rendering techniques.