<p>I am interested in taking Linear Algebra at a community college. However, how much math is needed before Linear Algebra?</p>
<p>Would AP Calc AB suffice? </p>
<p>Or does one need to take AP Calc BC before Linear Algebra?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>The first course in Linear Algebra (some called Matrix) usually (formally) requires Calc II, which is essentially AP Calc AB. But check your cc catalog.</p>
<p>The course description says that Calculus with Analytical Geometry I and II are prerequisites, but a lot of people tell me that Linear Algebra is mostly proofs and stuff like that and does not require much calculus.</p>
<p>So I’ll probably email the professor.</p>
<p>To do well in a fair amount of linear algebra, you really don’t need to be proficient in calculus. If you have some time, go through these video lectures from the MIT open courseware library:
[MIT</a> OpenCourseWare | Mathematics | 18.06 Linear Algebra, Spring 2010 | Video Lectures](<a href=“http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010/video-lectures/]MIT”>http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010/video-lectures/)</p>
<p>and see if you can follow it and find it interesting.</p>
<p>So one could take linear algebra without any calculus at all, then? If someone had just finished precalculus/trig, would they do fine in a linear algebra CC class if they worked hard?</p>
<p>The course description is:</p>
<p>“Covers matrices, vector spaces, determinants, solutions of
systems of linear equations, basis and dimension, eigen values,
and eigen vectors.”</p>
<p>If that helps any.</p>
<p>DISCLAIMER: the most I have taken of linear algebra is the first two classes in the MIT OpenCourseWare.</p>
<p>So, from my understanding of it, you don’t really need calc for linear algebra. Theoretically, a very good student who had finished precalc could do well in a linear algebra class. However, linear algebra requires the ability to think about math in ways not normally covered in a precalc/trig course, or even necessarily in a normal calc course.</p>
<p>If you’ve taken AP Calc, though, you should be fine. I took BC, but the extra topics (mostly just other integration techniques and series) covered there don’t seem to be essential to linear algebra. If they were though, they wouldn’t be too hard to learn.</p>
<p>While linear algebra does not require specific knowledge from calculus, schools may list calculus as a prerequisite because:</p>
<p>a. Students who are unable to handle calculus tend to be unable to handle linear algebra.
b. Majors that require linear algebra also require calculus, but majors that require calculus do not necessarily require linear algebra.
c. Linear algebra is often combined with differential equations in a one semester course; differential equations does require specific calculus knowledge.</p>
<p>For reasons b and c, it may be more worthwhile to take second semester freshman calculus (as a follow-on to AB which is generally equivalent to first semester freshman calculus) before taking linear algebra. If you take just linear algebra and then eventually attend a semester system university where linear algebra is combined with differential equations, you will need to take second semester freshman calculus, then the combined linear algebra and differential equations course (repeating half the course, which means that you wasted your time taking just linear algebra earlier).</p>