I think that Jeff just takes math for granted. Without algebra, you would have a really hard time even understanding your run-of-the-mill business apps: order of operator precedence, the general notion of a variable, functions, etc. Let alone compound interest, expontential growth, etc. We're not talking combinatorial logic or multi-variable calculus here. If you complete your basic education in a first world country, you probably have some grounding in basic mathematics and logic, whether you realize it or not. Learning to program makes real a lot of these concepts that were probably sitting in the back of your brain unused for some time.