Topics that are most forgotten by software developers following their education.

Topics where the difference between question 2 and 1 was negative, indicating that the material was subsequently forgotten, and presumably is not much used on the job. Is the investment in education of this material effective?

Sample of data from the 1998 Survey of Software Practitioners

Rank

Topic

Forgetting since education

(Q2-Q1)

Q1: Knowledge after education

Q2: Knowledge Now

% where Q2 -Q1

<= -2

1

Differential Equations

-1.2

2.7

1.6

38%

2

Differential and Integral Calculus

-1.1

3.2

2.1

38%

3

Linear Algebra and Matrices

-0.8

3.1

2.3

24%

4

Chemistry

-0.8

2.2

1.4

21%

5

Physics

-0.7

2.7

2.1

21%

6

Laplace and Fourier Transforms

-0.6

1.8

1.2

21%

7

Probability and Statistics

-0.5

2.9

2.4

17%

8

Combinatorics

-0.4

1.7

1.4

12%

9

Set Theory

-0.4

2.5

2.1

12%

10

Predicate Logic

-0.3

2.2

1.9

12%

11

Graph Theory

-0.2

1.9

1.7

7%

12

Control Theory

-0.2

1.2

1.1

7%

13

Analog Electronics

-0.2

1.3

1.2

9%