Discrete mathematics, also known as combinatorial mathematics. Discrete mathematics is a branch of mathematics that has developed rapidly since the emergence of computers. Computer science is the science of algorithm, and the object of computer processing is discrete data, so the processing of discrete objects has become the core of computer science, and the science of studying discrete objects is discrete mathematics. The development of discrete mathematics has changed the dominant situation of analysis and algebra in traditional mathematics. It is widely used in various disciplines, especially in computer science and technology. At the same time, discrete mathematics is also a necessary prerequisite for many professional courses of computer specialty, such as programming language, data structure, operating system, compilation technology, artificial intelligence, database, algorithm design and analysis, theoretical computer science foundation and so on. Artificial intelligence is a computer system with intelligent behavior, which is mainly reflected in the reasoning ability of computers. The reasoning theory mainly comes from discrete mathematics.

Discrete mathematics is an important branch of modern mathematics and an important course of computer science. Its main goal is to study the structure and relationship of discrete quantities, and its research object is generally finite or countable elements, so discrete mathematics can fully describe the discrete characteristics of computer science. Because of the important role of discrete mathematics in computer science, it is listed as a core course in the teaching plan of computer specialty in almost all universities at home and abroad. It is a prerequisite course for other key courses such as data structure, operating system, artificial intelligence, computer network, software engineering and compilation principle. Many universities in China regard it as the content of the entrance examination for computer specialty.

The appearance of computers in the 20th century promoted the great process of information revolution in the world. The disciplinary position of computer science in the information revolution is the same as that of Newtonian mechanics in the industrial revolution. Of course, computer science will play a leading role in the information revolution promoted by the appearance of computers. With the advent of the information age, the mainstream position of continuous mathematics represented by calculus has changed in the era of industrial revolution, and the importance of discrete mathematics has been gradually recognized by people. The ideas and methods taught in discrete mathematics are widely reflected in various fields of computer science and technology and related majors, from scientific calculation to information processing, from theoretical computer science to computer application technology, from computer software to computer hardware, from artificial intelligence to cognitive system, which are closely related to discrete mathematics.