# Calculus 3?



## musiclover55 (Feb 7, 2011)

Is Calc 3 easier or harder than Calc 2? 

I'm taking Calc 2 right now and it's kicking my butt, but I think I'm gonna end up with a B or C (most likely C, and that's with a curve :/ ). I have to take Calc 3 and Principles of Chemistry 2 next semester and I heard the Chem teacher is hard, so I want to make sure I'm not setting myself up for failure next semester by taking Calc 3, Chem 2, Macroeconomics, and some 1 credit course.

and actually, I can take this course called 'Logic & Proof" instead of Calc 2, but I'm not sure if it will transfer to the schools I'm interested in (it's not listed on the transfer equivalency guides for both schools :/ ).

edit:

Calc 3 course description says it will cover functions of 2 or 3 variables and includes double and triple integrals, line integrals, Green's theorem, stoke's theorem, divergence, parametric equations and polar coordinates vectors in the plane and space, and Curl and applications.


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## Remnant of Dawn (Feb 22, 2012)

I don't know, I think it depends. I found that the Taylor series and stuff from Calc 2 was harder than most things in Calc 3, but overall Calc 3 was just really messy and didn't seem "neat" to me. So in general I think I preferred Calc 2, but there were some parts of it that I found much harder than anything in Calc 3.

Also, I have a bias because I took Calc 2 in high school and Calc 3 in college. So maybe it's not so surprising that I found many parts of Calc 3 harder.


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## lostinlife (Jun 2, 2010)

Calc 2 is difficult because of the "extra" stuff they tack onto the course like series tests. Calc 3 may be good or bad depending on the professor and how strong you are in general with the lower calculus material going into the course. You don't really touch the series stuff from Calc 2 at all. It's just more in-depth stuff with derivatives and integrals but in 3d so I would say it's more like Calc 1 when you first get introduced to derivatives and integrals. If you know those topics really well than Calc 3 is quite fun. Still tough, but really interesting. ETA: I wouldn't say the majority of the material in Calc 3 is harder than Calc 2, but you have a lot less people who know Calc 3 well so there's just a lot fewer resources to go to for help if you need it. 

I would probably recommend Calc 2 over "Logic and Proofs" because the latter class sounds more like symbolic logic or real analysis. That's more advanced than Calc 2 and like you said, it probably doesn't transfer between schools.


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## Ape in space (May 31, 2010)

It's a bit harder I think, because there's more techniques to remember (multivariable chain rule, differential area elements, figuring out which coordinate system to use for multiple integrals, etc.), but it's also more fun. Especially if you go into physics.


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## Frostbite (May 14, 2013)

I thought it was easier. Calc 2 used a lot algebra that I had forgotten how to do.


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## Marlon (Jun 27, 2011)

I thought Calc 2 was the easiest. Some parts of it wasn't "really" calculus like geometric series.

Calc 3 I found to be the most difficult because you have to work with polar/spherical/cylindrical coordinates and double/triple integrals. And then you have abstract stuff like curl/divergence/gradient. The hardest part about calc 3 is just knowing what everything means and what you are working with.


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## garbageman (Oct 21, 2014)

calc 3 is way harder. taking this course for the third time after dropping out twice. oh and having no friends in class/uni in general doesn't help my motivation


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## Grog (Sep 13, 2013)

What language is this


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## musiclover55 (Feb 7, 2011)

Thanks for the replies! 

Yeah, I'm probably just gonna have to suck it up and take calc 3. It's either that or take differential equations :/ 

Idk, I'll have to double check to make sure which one out of the two would be more preferred for my major (computer science) at the schools I'm gonna apply to. I know at GA tech they want you to take "Calc 3 for computer science", but the Calc 3 at my school transfers as "Calc 3 for engineering (something like that)" so I'm guessing that's good enough.... I'll try to email the advisor for CS or whatever at those schools (hopefully they'll respond kindly and not act like I'm an 'inconvenience' like my advisor). 

I hate college.


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## lostinlife (Jun 2, 2010)

musiclover55 said:


> Thanks for the replies!
> 
> Yeah, I'm probably just gonna have to suck it up and take calc 3. It's either that or take differential equations :/
> 
> ...


You're probably going to have to take calc 3 eventually but if you can take calc 3 *or* differential equations, I would actually say go with differential equations. It's more algebra-based/computational and less conceptual than calculus 3, if that makes sense, so that might be easier for you. The only difficult thing about differential equations is the matrix stuff you have to do which requires a bit of background in linear algebra. That's probably easier to learn then the vector calculus stuff in calc 3 though.


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## The Crow (Apr 17, 2012)

Calc 2 ruined integration for me.

Calc 3 and Differential Equations are by far and away less annoying, in my opinion.


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## Sacrieur (Jan 14, 2013)

Calc 3 is just calculus in multidimensional space.


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## musiclover55 (Feb 7, 2011)

Yeah I might have to take differential equations instead of calc 3 because so far, no one signed up for calc 3 and only 6 people signed up for diff equations :/

Guess I have to wait until like a couple of days before classes start next semester to find out for sure.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Ill be taking calculus II hopefully for this coming spring semester. I should of taken it a long time ago but wasnt sure what to declare a major in.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Marlon said:


> I thought Calc 2 was the easiest. Some parts of it wasn't "really" calculus like geometric series.
> 
> Calc 3 I found to be the most difficult because you have to work with polar/spherical/cylindrical coordinates and double/triple integrals. And then you have abstract stuff like curl/divergence/gradient. The hardest part about calc 3 is just knowing what everything means and what you are working with.


I thought Calc 3 was also harder. Calc 2 was easy.


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

Raeden said:


> I loved calculus 3 and hated calculus 2 because of sequences/series. I thought calculus 3 was really cool and fun.
> 
> Differential equations is also easy. It's just a matter of memorizing equation types and how to solve them. There was nothing conceptual to learn like there is in calc 3. So, take DE if you just want to plug and chug or take calc 3 if you actually want to learn stuff.





Sacrieur said:


> Calc 3 is just calculus in multidimensional space.


These two sum up my thoughts. Sequences and series were, by far, the hardest part of calc 2 imo, and you don't have any of that in calc 3. It's just a continuation of integration and differentials into 3D space from what you were doing in 2D space with calc2. I liked it because you could figure out equations to form objects which shows one of the practical uses for calc.

My advice, use ratemyprofessor.com to figure out if your teacher is one who'll make the class fun and a worthwhile experience, or a boring slog that'll make you hate the world.


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## musiclover55 (Feb 7, 2011)

lonelyjew said:


> My advice, use ratemyprofessor.com to figure out if your teacher is one who'll make the class fun and a worthwhile experience, or a boring slog that'll make you hate the world.


Funny thing is, the calc 3 professor is the same one I have now for calc 2. He's definitely not cutting it for me so I have to rely on YouTube videos and free online tutoring. And he gives way too much homework and quizzes.

And I don't know what's up with the people at my school, but they hardly write reviews on ratemyprofessor, so it's pretty much "pick this person and hope I get lucky".

Anyway, I probably have to end up picking differential equations because no one signed up for calc 3 yet. And from the few reviews on ratemyprofessor, the diff equations and the chemistry professors both give hard tests and don't teach well :/

It sucks that some professors make an already difficult subject even more difficult. Just have to keep busting my a** next semester.


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