Do I need differentials before partial differentials?

  • Context: Courses 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Y.E.T.I.
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Differentials Partial
Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
10 replies · 2K views
Y.E.T.I.
Messages
12
Reaction score
5
I know its a ridiculous question, but I'm signing up for classes and I wanted to take differential equations and its currently filled up(for now, people drop all the time at my uni) but saw partial differential equations. I assume you need differential equations before partial differential equations, so I don't know if I should even sign up for that. If I can't take it I'm going to take linear algebra.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
yeah, it would make more sense. You also need a grasp of calculus 3.
 
MidgetDwarf said:
yeah, it would make more sense. You also need a grasp of calculus 3.
I've signed up for calc 3 and physics 2. They let us take calc 3 concurrently with differential equations, I was just trying to avoid unneeded filler classes to make it full time. Linear algebra isn't really required but I thought it looked interesting.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
What does the course catalog say about prerequisites?
I need differential equations before partial differential equations, just looked it up. Looks like linear algebra is going to be a choice to take.
 
ODE is a very easy class. Can be a GPA booster
 
Excuse my ignorance, but what does ODE stand for?
 
If it helps, I wish linear algebra had been a prerequisite for my first class in differential equations. Linear algebra shows up everywhere, and there are big chunks of methodology in differential equations that boil down to solving a system of linear equations or finding eigenvalues or eigenvectors.