Diffe Q vs Calc III

Which is easier?

  • Calc III

    Votes: 42 57.5%
  • Differential Equations

    Votes: 31 42.5%

  • Total voters
    73

IowaStateClones

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Dec 7, 2009
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I took a gal friend to class before Veisha and the teacher kept staring at her wondering if she should have been in the class. He never asked. My gal friend did not learn much from the diffy Q class.

WOW REALLY?:chatterbox:
 

Bader

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Jul 25, 2007
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I found Diff Eq. way more interesting, but I also was taking EE 201 at the same time so I had an instant application.

They're both easy in my opinion (I had Gautesen for Diff Eq. but he's probably retired by now...he was awesome). The end of Calc III kind of sucks with the line integrals but all Diff Eq. is is following patterns.
 

clones_jer

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Apr 16, 2006
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DiffEQ is way easier - I thought Calc 2 sucked the worst of the 4. DiffEQ was actually my favorite of all of them.
 

dinger

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Apr 20, 2006
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i would like to say calc 3 was easier but my transcript says diff eq was.

just a side note....is it weird that it bothers me to see it spelled as diffe q or diffy q.... since it is short for differential equations is quite obviously is diff eq. i think i just found a new (pointless) pet peeve.
 

247cy

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Nov 14, 2006
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Spring Hill, KS
Took both in the same semester, aced both. Voted Calc III, as I had Fred Wright teaching the class - any other "Super Duper Performers" out there?

Seemed that the folks who struggled usually didn't have a firm grasp of what was covered in Calc I and II. I'd swear my Diff. Eq. prof was straight off the streets of Mumbai, and some folks liked to complain about not being able to understand him. Good thing math is the "universal language".

Sadly, the job I have now requires little of my math-ninja skills.
 

clones_jer

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Apr 16, 2006
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i would like to say calc 3 was easier but my transcript says diff eq was.

just a side note....is it weird that it bothers me to see it spelled as diffe q or diffy q.... since it is short for differential equations is quite obviously is diff eq. i think i just found a new (pointless) pet peeve.

diphyque

hows that for a ******* mind-explosion?
 

agrabes

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Oct 25, 2006
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i would like to say calc 3 was easier but my transcript says diff eq was.

just a side note....is it weird that it bothers me to see it spelled as diffe q or diffy q.... since it is short for differential equations is quite obviously is diff eq. i think i just found a new (pointless) pet peeve.


Same here, for some reason it makes me unreasonably angry when I see someone write it as diffy q or diffe q. What would either of those stand for?? Diffy's 'Quations? And by the way, "diffe q" seems like it would be pronounced as "dihf kyoo" or "dai-f kyoo" phonetically anyway :p.

Also, I agree with others: Calc 2 was the hardest because of that abstract (useless) crap with sequences and series. The only real difficult part of calc 3 was trying to figure out things like triple integrations and polar coordinates, etc.
 
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aeroclone

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Oct 30, 2006
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Throwing my vote for Calc 3 and it wasn't even close. I had awful profs for both.... Actually, I never had a good prof in the math department.
 

Rogue52

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Oct 20, 2006
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Calculus III is easier because typically, by that time, you finally "get" calculus. If you take Diff Eq after, then maybe you might have a different opinion. In EE, the Laplace Transform is vital for circuit analysis so I had to take it early.
 

ThePollinator

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Nov 29, 2009
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For me, Diff Eq the 267 version was way more enjoyable and much easier and its not even close. I had a great teacher in Elgin Johnson, I think his name was. Calc III on the other had was brutal for me since day 1. I did fine in calc I and II so I blame it on the teacher who was absolutely terrible for me, Roettger or something like that.
 

Cyched

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May 8, 2009
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For me, Diff Eq the 267 version was way more enjoyable and much easier and its not even close. I had a great teacher in Elgin Johnson, I think his name was. Calc III on the other had was brutal for me since day 1. I did fine in calc I and II so I blame it on the teacher who was absolutely terrible for me, Roettger or something like that.

I had Johnston for Calc II last semester, and it went by much smoother for me than my friends with other profs
 

maui6651

Member
Sep 2, 2008
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Cedar Rapids
Calc III was a piece of cake for me, but I didn't have a clue what had happened in Diff EQ by the end of the semester. My guy stood up and copied equations onto the blackboard, giving maybe 1 real-life application the entire semester. It didn't help that he had the mannerisms of Milton from Office Space.

HalversonM6239.jpg


Anyone else get to enjoy one of his lectures?
 

Clonehomer

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Apr 11, 2006
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It really depends on who you get. I had Dahiya for Diff Eq and he was very good. He taught the stuff well and really didn't follow the book because it was so bad. Unfortunately, I had Bo Su for Calc II and Kramer for Calc III. Both of which were awful teachers with easy tests (until you get to the departmental final)
 

geburgess

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Jan 19, 2010
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Coming from a math department standpoint, I would say take Intro to Diff Eq (Math 266) instead of Calc III (Math 265) if you can for your major requirements. Calc III is all just theory, much less application than Diff Eq. I think if you are an engineer, especially ChemE, you should take the Diff Eq class instead as it will relate more to your later classes, as well as being a pre-req for some higher math classes you might have to take.

However, if it becomes an option between the harder Diff Eq class with Laplace Transforms (Math 267) and Calc III, take Calc III. You'll be more familiar with the subject material from the start and will succeed. My personal opinion is take Diff Eq no matter what, but that's part of my mathematical emphasis.
 

Cyched

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May 8, 2009
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Current Calc III prof: Yiu Tung Poon

PoonY5949.jpg


Wectors, 2nd degree paranomials shaped as paraborras, and the variable thetur, not to mention manatee of the weather(magnitude of the vector)
 
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