<p>so here's my dilemma,
I got a 5 on the Calculus BC exam, 5 on the AB subsection, so I can take Math 53. But I'm majoring in CS, so I need a very strong math foundation. Right now I have math 53 down.</p>
<p>if I take Math 1a, my first semester will be easier on me (assuming 1a is easier than 53?), I won't have to review calc. over summer intensely, BUT I will have to redo my schedule. </p>
<p>if I take Math 53, I will have to review/STUDY calc. over summer (it's been over a year, and i honestly didn't listen too much in class and kinda winged the ap test), BUT my schedule will be set. </p>
<p>so essentially, which is the best option? And can I handle Math 53 if I self-study Math 1a a bit?</p>
<p>Just stick with Math 53. You don’t really need to study for it over the summer - you’ll just be using basic techniques from Math 1A and Math 1B like basic differentiation and integration. So if you’ve forgotten the chain rule or how to integrate by substitution or by parts, it would be helpful to review that over the summer. You’ll also be using partial differentiation in Math 53 and doing some conic section stuff, so if you learned that in high school, it may be helpful to go over that too. We also covered epsilon-delta proofs in 53 for about all of five minutes and never got tested on those…
Don’t worry. Many of your classmates in 53 are going to be in the exact same situation as you - 5 on BC junior year. And it doesn’t build too much off what you learned in 1A/1B.</p>
<p>I thought most of the class was pretty straightforward except for the very last bit (Stokes’ Theorem, Gauss’s Divergence Theorem, etc.) where the theory just got all crazy. Most of it is similar to BC calculus except you’ll be working in three-space the whole time. But if you end up with a professor who emphasizes plug-and-chug problems instead of theory, you’re totally set. Just read the book and ask your GSI questions if you’re confused.
Wait, you’re majoring in CS in L&S? You don’t even need 53. Just skip straight to 54! If you’re EECS, disregard this. Personally, I preferred Math 54 (but this comes down to a matter of personal preference, the classes are almost totally unrelated).</p>
<p>haha sharp eye. I’m CS in L&S but transferring to EECS so I will need 53. And it seems healthy to take multivariable since I’ve been expecting to take it for so long.</p>
<p>Totally agreed on AppleJuice’s opinion. Just to add a little bit more, Math 1A is usually more competitive than 53, because from what I’ve heard, many people take 1A despite getting 5 on AP Calculus BC. I was an incoming EECS major in the same situation as yours. I chose 53, and I never regretted.</p>
<p>i too got a 5 on the BC test and took math 1a like the fool i was. i second what everyone else above has said. go with 53, any info you end up using from math 1a in 53 you must likely are already an expert in (basic differentiation and integration). you wont need delta-epsilon in 53 either intensely from my recollection and that was the only topic we didnt learn in my HS AP class that we learned in math 1a at cal.</p>