<p>Part of this may have to do with my teachers this year, since in the past I've excelled at math. But I'm taking Calculus and AP Physics this year, and while I really like my Physics class, I can't stand calculus. Is all engineering primarily calculus-based, or are there areas that would include more physics than calculus?</p>
<p>The concepts in physics are interesting yes, but if you want to be able to prove them, you need to have a solid grasp of the math. It makes me wonder how well your AP Physics class is explaining the material (gospel vs derivations). Engineering and physics are calculus based, don’t fret though, your college classes should be better taught than your AP courses.</p>
<p>Yeah, they go together. To really understand physics you need to understand what is going on with the equations. That being said, a lot of physics (I & II, which most engineers take) doesn’t have a whole lot of derivations, or actual calculus really involved. Also is stuff like statics, which is physics-ish, they teach you ways to get around they ‘heavier’ double integrals and just use single integrals. </p>
<p>Anyway, you may think calculus is tough at first glance, but if you work at it, it really isn’t all that bad.</p>
<p>How can you even truly like physics without liking the math behind it. That’s sort of the beauty of it: how the natural universe is governed by equations.</p>
<p>He might be taking the algebra-based AP Physics. Even if he’s taking the calculus-based one, they’re probably still on mechanics, which is doesn’t have quite as much complex calculus.</p>
<p>The question would not be what parts of engineering and physics require calculus so much but rather what parts of it do not require it. It is one of the most core skills one needs for those subjects, and you also need it for the higher-level math. Physics is calculus-based BTW.</p>
<p>The OP may be taking AP physics B, which is a non-calculus physics course that is more like a more comprehensive high school physics course. College physics for engineering and physics majors will use calculus. Use of calculus will be heavier in the electricity and magnetism portion.</p>
<p>Calculus is fundamental to everything.
That being said, you won’t do too much of the nasty stuff on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Physics invented calculus. Calculus is THE language of physics. It is difficult to understand at first but it gets better.</p>
<p>Engineering without calculus would be like writing without verbs.</p>