Which is harder, Calc 3 or Calc 4?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

It seems like 4 should be harder, or they wouldn’t call it 4! But perhaps the huge hurdle of Calc 3 (Multivariable) is the steepest step. Those who have taken both, what do you think?

My DS, engineering first-year, is creating his spring schedule and signing up for Diff Eq (Calc 4) along with some other tough courses in physics & chemistry, with labs. He did OK in Multivariable, but the curve was steep … felt like he didn’t understand it as well as he might have, even though the grade came out good. I’m a little scared for him. Not that he shouldn’t take it, but should he take lots of other brain-challenging things at the same time? (He does have a little flexibility within the engineering requirements.)

Thanks for thoughts & how to advise him (as his non-math mama).

2

I have seen students at my university, Illinois Tech, take Multivariate before, after and concurrently with Differential Equations. They are not terribly connected and can be interchangeable. That is why they are not generally called Calc 3 & 4.

3

Thanks, xray. That’s useful to know. They’re not formally called 3 and 4 at my son’s university, but they are #3 and #4 of a recommended sequence, so I (and I guess some others) have thought of them that way. So, from what you say, his shaky understanding of MV is not going to hurt him too badly in DEQ? Or help him, either, I guess!

4

Lower division differential equations courses typically do not use multivariable calculus.

5

Diff eq is cookbook, multivariable calc is thinking spatially. The two are greatly unrelated for the most part. You dont need one for the other, and could flip them around with no real issue (apart from maybe scheduling).

I found diff eq significantly easier than multivariable. But neither were really that bad.

Part of the problem is that everyone around you is probably going “Calc 3??? Calc 4??? Thank god Im a psychology major!”

Dont let that psych you out. Engineering might be hard compared to other majors but is made exponentially harder due to all the psych-outs students with friends in other majors inevitably go through.