<p>Just a quick question for experienced math majors: </p>
<p>What is the difference between applied calculus and "regular" calculus. I am aware that applied tends to be used more for business majors and several other fields I'm told (though I'm not sure which ones exactly). But beyond that, what are the differences, similarities, and overlap between them? </p>
<p>Is there any "harm" in taking both (where the extra time/money for that one class wouldn't bother me - I just want to build a strong foundation for future studies) or is there sufficient overlap to not really need to take both? </p>
<p>I'm an undecided major right now, but have been floating between various sciences at the moment. Thanks.</p>
<p>I took both applied calculus and three semesters of regular calculus and analytic geometry many years ago. I loved applied calculus because I hate proofs and it didn’t have any proofs. Additionally, I thought it was motivating to see how calculus was applied to real-world situations (not just business applications,) which is something most traditional math classes don’t do a good job at.</p>
<p>If you want to major in math, I don’t think applied calculus could be considered a substitute for regular calculus. It would be a great additional class to take if you had the time and money, though.</p>
<p>It depends on your school. Check each course’s syllabus and which majors each course is accepted for. Then compare these lists of majors to those you are considering.</p>
<p>If you are planning to be a science major, taking regular calc is pretty much the norm (with some exceptions so check department websites requirements). The application you learn in applied calc are really minimal since you have to learn the basics no matter what you do. </p>
<p>I took regular calculus as an accounting major because I also had an thought of becoming an actuary. When I took upper level econ classes, I applied the regular calc (not that I couldn’t have with applied). And then regular calc came in handy when I decided to get a degree in engineering.</p>
<p>I really don’t see you getting much out of taking applied calc once you have taken regular calc.</p>
<p>If you are planning to major in engineering, then you should take both advance and regular calculus. Also , you should have strong basics of trigonometry, algebra, coordinate geometry. Try to find high level maths books and solve them, they will extremely help you in your engineering majors.</p>