> linear programming, integer programming, and constraint programming
Can't think of a universe in which you'd learn about these things before learning "computer programming".
Can't think of a universe in which you'd learn about these things before learning "computer programming".
Computing predates computers.
As an analogy, it's not unusual to learn a good chunk of calculus before learning that "calculus" is a thing they're part of - for example, by having an over-eager physics teacher who teaches you some of it so we can understand physics material deeper, but without ever mentioning the branch of math we're now using.