Hacker News Reader

The point is that dynamic programming builds on various abstract concepts that many college students only understand to a level deep enough to pass exams. Making the connection with caching, which is a mostly-unrelated, and much more concrete concept, give them the basis to build a mental framework. Sure, they might do without, but why make it harder?

View on HN

I don't agree it's making it harder though. Nothing I just built it on above required any deep understanding at all, and you could even re-explain all the shallow bits (like what a DAG is) in a few minutes if not seconds. I simply don't buy that this is too onerous. As to "why explain it this way regardless", because I believe it gives them a better understanding once they hear it?

I am not saying to not explain the theory. I am saying that using a concrete concept makes it easier to build the mental model needed to understand the theory.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com