Differential eq without multivariable?

[biogoal123]

this fall I am taking differential equations at my university without having taken multivariable calculus part 2 (my school splits multivariable calc into 2 quarters, I've only taken the first quarter). I have taken linear algebra (took it last quarter)

so basically what I'm wondering is will this be okay for me or will i find myself significantly behind the class? (the requirement for my diff. eq class is only part 1 of multivariable, which i have completed, and linear algebra is "strongly recommended" which i have completed as well but I am still a little unsure whether I will be able to keep pace with this class)

by the way my school does not start until mid-september and I am thinking of getting a head start, I purchased the textbook (diff eq by polking) and i find it very difficult to follow. any suggestions as to some other books i may be able to use to learn faster / more efficiently?

this is my first time posting so i apologize if any of this has been asked before but i would really appreciate an answer

thanks

 

[HallsofIvy]

I think you would find it very difficult. For example, a topic taken up very early in a differential equations course is solving "exact" first order equations. That uses, directly, the concept of an "exact differential" and when a differential is not exact- a topic from multivariable calculus. In addition, because the topic of "linear equations" is so important- and based on the fact that the solutions of a linear, homogeneous equation form a vector space, I would want differential equations students to have both multivariable calculus and linear algebra as perrequisites.