What Courses Follow AP Calculus for Aspiring Physics Students at UCLA?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the course progression for students who have completed AP Calculus and are interested in pursuing physics at UCLA. Participants seek to understand the sequence of mathematics courses, particularly focusing on differential equations and their prerequisites, as well as additional classes relevant to physics studies.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the steps to take from AP Calculus to differential equations and requests a list of subsequent courses relevant to physics.
  • Another participant shares their experience at Oregon State University, detailing the equivalencies of AP Calculus and the sequence of math courses leading up to differential equations.
  • A different participant expresses the need for a structured ranking of courses necessary for learning quantum mechanics, including differential equations, multivariable calculus, and linear algebra.
  • One participant suggests that linear algebra should be a prerequisite for taking differential equations.
  • Another participant seeks clarification on the order of courses after Calculus III and when linear algebra fits into that sequence.
  • A participant lists the sequence of courses at UCLA, indicating the progression from multivariable calculus to linear algebra and differential equations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the importance of differential equations and linear algebra for physics but have not reached a consensus on the exact order of courses or the necessity of certain prerequisites.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the specific order of courses and prerequisites, indicating that the discussion may depend on individual university requirements and personal academic paths.

asen7
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Hi everyone,

I just have a question, Could someone please outline the steps to differential equations class from AP calculus AB/calculus I? And out of curiosity, could also list some classes beyond differentials (if there are any) that are completed by college students who have skipped Calculus II (by taking AP Calculus AB and BC) by the end of their undergraduate study?

And could you please label the name of the class along with the level. So for example: Calculus III - Multivariable Calculus.

I am interested in learning a physics topic but it requires differential equations, so I would just like to see what I have to work towards.

Thank you.
 
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I took AP Calculus in high school, (probably Calculus AB, but I'm not sure), and have since been taking math at Oregon State University (OSU for short).

At OSU, AP Calculus is equivalent to Math 251 and most of Math 252 (someone who's done AP Calculus may place out of Math 252).

Here's the list of classes through Differential Equations at OSU:

Code: 
MTH251 -- differential calculus (AP Calculus)
MTH252 -- integral calculus (AP Calculus)
MTH254 -- Vector Calculus I
MTH256 -- Applied Ordinary Differential Equations

Math 256 is only for single differential equations. At OSU, there's also Math 480 (Systems of Ordinary Differential Equations), which depends on Math 341 (Linear Algebra I) and Math 256. Math 341 itself depends only on Math 254.

I hope this helps.
 
Thank you Crosstalk, it did help a bit, butthere are some other classes that I need to take that you didn't mention.

I know a couple of classes but not sure when you take them, and it is to learn quantum mechanics. I know you need to know differential equations, multivariable calculus, partial differential, linear algebra, and some more. So I need to learn some of these topic but i don't know in what order. So can anyone rank them and any other classes I missed in this sort of format:

1. AP calculus AB/BC
2. Calculus I
3. Calculus II
4. Calculus III- Multivariable Calculus

And so on...
 
So can anyone please help me out?
 
Help you out how? asen7 gave you an answer. While you only asked about Calculus course, the only thing I would add is that I would advise anyone taking differential equations to have taken Linear Algebra as a pre-requisite.
 
No, I already knew the courses up to Calc 3, but my question is what are the courses after that and the order in which you take them? And when do you take linear algebra in that sequence?
 
at UCLA

(After skipping w/e AP skips)

-Multivariable Calc (derivatives)
-Multivariable Calc(integrals)/Vector Calculus
-Linear Algebra
-Differential Equations
 

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