We learn theory not to understand the derivation of the details, but to understand how the theory fits in with everything else. Using a library without understanding the theory just means you know that sin(angle) is just a number, but not how the number helps you work out the length of steel beam as it changes due to changes in angle.
They are simply not the same.
Source: working with juniors that can’t do anything outside of what the libraries do for them.
Me: I could spend a month getting deep into trigonometry… OR, I could spend a month looking for a library that contains someone else’s trigonometry.
We learn theory not to understand the derivation of the details, but to understand how the theory fits in with everything else. Using a library without understanding the theory just means you know that sin(angle) is just a number, but not how the number helps you work out the length of steel beam as it changes due to changes in angle.
They are simply not the same.
Source: working with juniors that can’t do anything outside of what the libraries do for them.
Agreed, but almost everyone here can relate to trying to find efficiencies that end up costing you just as much time.