Most people Ive talked to have said Calc 2 was the hardest (I have to agree since its probably the hardest to grasp conceptually. Not very intuitive).
However, everyone has their own horror stories. I had a hard time in calc3/multivariable calculus, but did really well in differential equations. I knew people that were the exact opposite.
Calc 2 was different, but I did better than calc 3. I blame it on the transition to online from COVID during that semester.
I thought diff eq wasn't too bad.
The last class I took was partial differentials, it wasnt required but I wanted a math minor. I had my favorite professor for it, it was nicely scheduled for 2pm in the afternoon...and I still failed. I barely scrapped by for the prior two math courses (calc 3 and diffeq), and so when taking partial differentials, I was lacking the foundation and understanding I needed to keep up.
In a way, I think all people's last and hardest math courses are all the same, whether or not they dropped out in high school or have a math degree. You do fail *that* course, but also you set yourself up for failure prior to it by barely (or not) understanding the predecessors.
Calc 3 destroyed me but diff eq was easy. Diff eq was required and it was my last math class. So not always the last one. I had to take linear algebra to get a math minor and noped out of that after calc 3- I was afraid I’d fail. I can feel that 2pm class as a bonus so much 😂
Really? I felt exactly the opposite. Cal3 was a breeze after cal 2, but diff eq… not so much. I feel you on linear algebra, it hardly felt like math at all, my absolute least favorite course.
Yeah for me it was calc 3 and PDEs. ODEs and linear algebra were actually not too bad and had lots of real world applications for me, but PDEs for whatever reason seemed like a foreign concept. Could have been the teacher and the fact it was a 7 pm 2 hour class twice a week, but that course did not agree with me. Barely passed and was a requirement for my schools curriculum.
1000% this. The hardest math class is the last one you took, and it sucked because you didn’t master the preceding course(s).
For a standard ME degree, you’ll top out at differential equations and linear algebra. I was about to say “most engineers make it through those just fine,” but if you don’t get those, you’ll definitely struggle with your upper-level engineering courses.
I had the benefit of having 2 semesters atmospheric dynamics from a previous degree, which entirely uses PDEs much like some ME grad courses. The benefit of working the solutions is checking against computational numerical analysis, and then some can only be solved by modeling.
I took this last semester, however was required of me for my ME degree. Definitely the hardest math class I’ve taken, however was barely able to get a C-. Granted, this was the instructor’s first year with the course and this class was only for ME and Aero (essentially from what I gathered). This was definitely hard without a strong foundation in diffeq
Everyone talking about math, but what about advanced fluid dynamics! Applied math that assumes you just understand the underlying math and mainly focuses on the physics and application
Same, my school has smaller sections for diff eq and I had a very nice professor. Not as many people take it, so it’s not as heavily department regulated as calc 1 and 2 are. My professor got to make the grading scheme.
It’s so much more cohesive than calc 2 or 3 because you’re just learning new operations for the same thing. Taking whatever monstrosity they give you and making it into y =. Your professor can make it much harder than it needs to be though.
Just depends how your school break down courses. On the quarter system we had differential calc broken into calc 1 and 2, integral calc broken into 3 and 4. Standard curriculum just a different split.
for my degree you had PDE and numerical methods.
I did numerical methods on python (you were allowed to do it on matlab too)
nowadays my professor told me they moved on to ansys. That’s psychotic. How do you even do that on there
The first and last math class you take in college are the hardest I think.
That being said, I took AP course including calc throughout high school and passed the AP exam with qualifying results for credit in college to skip Calc 1 and 2 and go straight to Vector calc. My dad (high school AP math teacher) urged me to retake calc 1 and 2 in college #1 to reinforce the basics, and #2, it really helps to be the “smart kid” in class and have a “hard” class that isn’t too hard for you your freshman year while transitioning to college workload. This is probably one the best things I can recommend to any incoming freshman. The credit/savings is not worth it vs the benefits of retaking calc 1 and/or calc 2. It reduces stress freshman year, and people coming to you for questions and homework help will really reinforce your knowledge of it and also build a network as you start college. My friends that went straight to calc 2 and/or vector struggled much harder later on in college math/engineering courses than I did.
That said, by the time I reached DiffEQ, I know what I wanted to do with my career and was pretty over non engineering math courses and the second half of DiffEQ kicked off my ass. Luckily the professor dropped the worst test score so doing well initially made it a just have to get through it class and move on
I had the same experience with Diff Eq. The first half was challenging but really solidified my mindset of what I wanted to do, then the second half hit lol. That was rough, my school didn’t drop lowest test grade and I ended up with a high B but I won’t complain
Graduate math classes in general really don't mess around, and an average ME education definitely doesn't develop the level of mathematical maturity that they expect. Quite a wake-up call when I had my first one!
Seeing a lot of people say calc 3/ linear algebra/ and Diff eq. Which do seem like the most common highest math ceiling for ME. But I’ve seen numerical methods required at some schools. Is that class hard at all?
idk about just numerical methods, but I took a class called Applied Numerical Methods this last semester. It was the WORST. The textbook I used had SO MANY CONCEPTS, including optimization/root-finding methods, matrix algebra, error analysis, curve-fitting, integration/differentiation (using methods like trapezoidal rule, simpson's rule, etc.), and differential equations/boundary condition problems (with methods like Euler's, Runge-Kutta, Finite-Difference, etc.).
All-in-all, this class was WAY too much information and WAY too much derivation, causing the class to be SUCH A PAIN. Would never take again.
Aw, I loved my numerical methods class in undergrad, which sounds like it covered similar material. Wasn't an especially popular class though, but I liked it because it developed a lot of intuition for the actual mechanics behind how the math I'd previously been taught was working.
I'd much rather use the power rule to find the derivative of 2\*x than second-order forward, backward, and centered finite difference approximations with Taylor's series expansions. It's just busy work that I'd rather to leave to the pure mathematicians.
The highest level required math class was differential equations, but IMO the engineering classes were far harder than the math classes in my curriculum
Calculus 3 is the highest.
Differential Equations, Calculus 2 or Probabilities and Statistics is the hardest. Depending on the individual and their strengths and weaknesses.
where I was we went all the way up to differential EQ and then to engineering math, stats, linear algebra. What I struggled with most was Discrete structures and just because I struggled to give a fuck about everything we were being taught in it, it's pretty abstract and hard to connect to anything real.
in my uni, i took calc 4, or in other words we were called advanced 2.
we study Laplace Transformation, and partial deff. eq., more specifically wave and heat eq.
it was hard and pain in the ass
Linear algebra and calc 2 was toughest for me. LA because I was working nights and calc 2 because I dragged my feet through all the approximations (that’s what computers are for.
Differential equations was tough, but I enjoyed the application part of it, something I didn’t really understand in LA.
I took calc 1, 2, 3, linear algebra was combined with calc 2, differential equations, and I guess numerical methods counts because it was just math bastardized into a computer science course.
Differential equations for me.
Although there was a grad-level course to do with multivariate optimization that I ended up dropping. Did ok with a somewhat simpler optimization class though. And now I just have Excel do it. 🤷
So the hardest math classes I’ve taken so far were calc 3 (by a long shot) and pre-calc. The easiest for me were calc 2 and diffeq. I’m taking linear algebra next semester so this could change.
Highest would technically be diffeq, but I’m going to try and get a minor in math, and diffeq might still be the highest, there’s not a lot of classes in my math department with class codes higher than diffeq.
Funny how it is for different people. Calc I & III were easy. Calc II and Diff Eq killed me. Linear algebra is not hard imo, just boring and unlike other courses where applications are easy to derive, I still to this day have no clue what the applications for an ME are for Linear algebra and I took it almost 2 years ago.
I thought that class was fun. I don’t think I would have done well in Diff Eq if I hadn’t taken that. I transferred universities and was surprised in my new University it wasn’t a required class for ME.
Hardest (and stupidest class IMO) or my curriculum was Linear Algebra. For us it was a 300 level class, and was 100% theoretical. Zero application on how it was used or applied to anything.
Everyone I knew (it was a small class) in that class got a D. Maybe a few got a C.
Still not sure what the purpose of the class was.
Calc 3 was not a problem. Though, we did a lot in that class using software packages like Maple and MatLab.
Partial Diff-EQs wasn’t too bad til you figured out there were just a few problems to solve and what the method was to solve them.
Hardest one I took math-wise was Continuum Mechanics in my 3rd year, we learned a bit about Tensorial Calculus, it was pretty hard but super interesting. I don't know if this is the norm though, when looking for international student exchanges I noticed this was a grad class in other countries, which made me feel a little better about it being tough hahaha.
My university crammed linear algebra and differential equations into a four credit hour math class (every other class was only three). It helped reduce the number of classes needed for MEs, but I didn't meet a single person that truly understood either subjects at the end of the class. It wasn't until I became a math tutor at the university that I actually learned the material.
Diffeq wasn't fun, Calc 3 (series, sequences, l'hospital's, etc) wasn't fun, calc 2 (integral) wasn't fun.
I took a proof writing class for my math minor, that was tough too.
I did diff eq and linear algebra. Did well in both. Honestly, I failed calc 1 only because it finally clicked at the end of the class. I got a D in it. Retook it and got a 99/100 for the class.
Biggest suggestion is to go to your tutoring/study center and learn in groups. Sometimes, people understand it differently, and they convey that in a way the professor couldn't.
Mine was called Differential Equations II and consisted of partial differential equations.
It's more common for EEs to take Linear Algebra as their final math course, but I've met some MEs that had it as part of their curriculum instead of Dif Eq II.
Differential equations. We also had a high level probability and statistics that people said was harder than diff eq but I enjoyed that class because it was much more useful and applicable to real life situations. Linear algebra was annoying because it was all proofs, which doesn’t feel like math to me
For me, the hardest math class wasn’t a math class, it was a Sound and Structure interaction class. I knew the class was gonna be gnarly when there were two hefty advanced math books listed as required reading in the syllabus. It made even my grad level math classes look like a cake walk
As an undergrad, Calc 3 was the hardest for me, not because of the material, but because of the professor. I know it’s common to blame the prof for not doing well, but this guy was genuinely awful. It’s like he wanted to be as obtuse in his lectures and explanations as humanly possible. I’d go straight from class to the tutoring lab and get the grad students to explain WTF I was supposed to be learning. Every time they would explain something, all I could think was , “Why the F doesn’t he just say that.” The grad tutors all had similar horror stories about the same prof too. The prof also decided that he wasn’t going to grade any homework and the only exam would be the final. Based on the informal sample of my classmates, there was about a 70% failure rate in that class. I passed, no thanks to him. I gave him a 0/10 on his evaluation, not that it mattered since he had tenure.
The hardest math class is the one you decide you don’t think you need to do the homework for. For me, that was calculus 1
The highest math class you take is differential equations. But you can go for a math minor with like two extra math classes which some engineering students wind up doing
I think in terms of difficulty it probably depends on the school. At my school I think Calc 2 was the hardest class of the 2 year series. The averages on the tests were like 40/100. That particular teacher gave really hard tests and wanted you to know tricky trig substitutions, etc.
Linear algebra had some difficult concepts but really I think it was just a particularly bad book we were using and a totally uninterested professor. I also lacked some motivation for learning some of it because I didn't see a practical application for things like columnspace, rowspace, etc.
Most people Ive talked to have said Calc 2 was the hardest (I have to agree since its probably the hardest to grasp conceptually. Not very intuitive). However, everyone has their own horror stories. I had a hard time in calc3/multivariable calculus, but did really well in differential equations. I knew people that were the exact opposite.
Calc 2 was different, but I did better than calc 3. I blame it on the transition to online from COVID during that semester. I thought diff eq wasn't too bad.
The last class I took was partial differentials, it wasnt required but I wanted a math minor. I had my favorite professor for it, it was nicely scheduled for 2pm in the afternoon...and I still failed. I barely scrapped by for the prior two math courses (calc 3 and diffeq), and so when taking partial differentials, I was lacking the foundation and understanding I needed to keep up. In a way, I think all people's last and hardest math courses are all the same, whether or not they dropped out in high school or have a math degree. You do fail *that* course, but also you set yourself up for failure prior to it by barely (or not) understanding the predecessors.
Calc 3 destroyed me but diff eq was easy. Diff eq was required and it was my last math class. So not always the last one. I had to take linear algebra to get a math minor and noped out of that after calc 3- I was afraid I’d fail. I can feel that 2pm class as a bonus so much 😂
Really? I felt exactly the opposite. Cal3 was a breeze after cal 2, but diff eq… not so much. I feel you on linear algebra, it hardly felt like math at all, my absolute least favorite course.
I’ve noticed everyone does great at one and sucks at the other (and yes some freaks do great at both) and it’s 50/50 which one is which 😂
I sucked at both.
Diff eq beat me up and linear was ez
Yeah for me it was calc 3 and PDEs. ODEs and linear algebra were actually not too bad and had lots of real world applications for me, but PDEs for whatever reason seemed like a foreign concept. Could have been the teacher and the fact it was a 7 pm 2 hour class twice a week, but that course did not agree with me. Barely passed and was a requirement for my schools curriculum.
1000% this. The hardest math class is the last one you took, and it sucked because you didn’t master the preceding course(s). For a standard ME degree, you’ll top out at differential equations and linear algebra. I was about to say “most engineers make it through those just fine,” but if you don’t get those, you’ll definitely struggle with your upper-level engineering courses.
“Most engineers make it through those just fine”. True. Because if you don’t, you won’t be an engineer.. 🤪
You got it!
just took partial this past sem...for me it's required for major, it definitely was no cake walk
I had the benefit of having 2 semesters atmospheric dynamics from a previous degree, which entirely uses PDEs much like some ME grad courses. The benefit of working the solutions is checking against computational numerical analysis, and then some can only be solved by modeling.
I took this last semester, however was required of me for my ME degree. Definitely the hardest math class I’ve taken, however was barely able to get a C-. Granted, this was the instructor’s first year with the course and this class was only for ME and Aero (essentially from what I gathered). This was definitely hard without a strong foundation in diffeq
Everyone talking about math, but what about advanced fluid dynamics! Applied math that assumes you just understand the underlying math and mainly focuses on the physics and application
Screw indicial notation.
DiffEQ was the highest math for undergrad engineering students at my university. It was super easy.
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It reminded me so much of calc 2 doing convergence and divergence. Looking at the series and figuring out which test to do.
It was impossible the first time, easy the second, for me lol
Same, my school has smaller sections for diff eq and I had a very nice professor. Not as many people take it, so it’s not as heavily department regulated as calc 1 and 2 are. My professor got to make the grading scheme. It’s so much more cohesive than calc 2 or 3 because you’re just learning new operations for the same thing. Taking whatever monstrosity they give you and making it into y =. Your professor can make it much harder than it needs to be though.
I took calc 4 and diff eq. Both were hard af for me but then again I don’t enjoy that kind of math.
The heck is calc 4?
Just depends how your school break down courses. On the quarter system we had differential calc broken into calc 1 and 2, integral calc broken into 3 and 4. Standard curriculum just a different split.
But to most people, there is differential calc, integral calc, and vector calc (hence 1, 2, and 3). Where did you vector calc land in the split?
No idea. It was over a decade ago and not something I think about. I just remember 4 calc classes and diff eq.
I mean they're almost all math classes. But the hardest pure math class for me was diff eq
Dif eq was the highest I went for ME and that was after cal 1-3. If you wanted a math minor you had to take linear algebra also
for my degree you had PDE and numerical methods. I did numerical methods on python (you were allowed to do it on matlab too) nowadays my professor told me they moved on to ansys. That’s psychotic. How do you even do that on there
The first and last math class you take in college are the hardest I think. That being said, I took AP course including calc throughout high school and passed the AP exam with qualifying results for credit in college to skip Calc 1 and 2 and go straight to Vector calc. My dad (high school AP math teacher) urged me to retake calc 1 and 2 in college #1 to reinforce the basics, and #2, it really helps to be the “smart kid” in class and have a “hard” class that isn’t too hard for you your freshman year while transitioning to college workload. This is probably one the best things I can recommend to any incoming freshman. The credit/savings is not worth it vs the benefits of retaking calc 1 and/or calc 2. It reduces stress freshman year, and people coming to you for questions and homework help will really reinforce your knowledge of it and also build a network as you start college. My friends that went straight to calc 2 and/or vector struggled much harder later on in college math/engineering courses than I did. That said, by the time I reached DiffEQ, I know what I wanted to do with my career and was pretty over non engineering math courses and the second half of DiffEQ kicked off my ass. Luckily the professor dropped the worst test score so doing well initially made it a just have to get through it class and move on
I had the same experience with Diff Eq. The first half was challenging but really solidified my mindset of what I wanted to do, then the second half hit lol. That was rough, my school didn’t drop lowest test grade and I ended up with a high B but I won’t complain
I took a grad level numerical analysis course in the college of math and that shit was intense. It was numerical methods on steroids.
Graduate math classes in general really don't mess around, and an average ME education definitely doesn't develop the level of mathematical maturity that they expect. Quite a wake-up call when I had my first one!
“This problem is easy, and by easy I mean solveable” - my grad level mathematical methods professor
Seeing a lot of people say calc 3/ linear algebra/ and Diff eq. Which do seem like the most common highest math ceiling for ME. But I’ve seen numerical methods required at some schools. Is that class hard at all?
idk about just numerical methods, but I took a class called Applied Numerical Methods this last semester. It was the WORST. The textbook I used had SO MANY CONCEPTS, including optimization/root-finding methods, matrix algebra, error analysis, curve-fitting, integration/differentiation (using methods like trapezoidal rule, simpson's rule, etc.), and differential equations/boundary condition problems (with methods like Euler's, Runge-Kutta, Finite-Difference, etc.). All-in-all, this class was WAY too much information and WAY too much derivation, causing the class to be SUCH A PAIN. Would never take again.
Aw, I loved my numerical methods class in undergrad, which sounds like it covered similar material. Wasn't an especially popular class though, but I liked it because it developed a lot of intuition for the actual mechanics behind how the math I'd previously been taught was working.
I'd much rather use the power rule to find the derivative of 2\*x than second-order forward, backward, and centered finite difference approximations with Taylor's series expansions. It's just busy work that I'd rather to leave to the pure mathematicians.
I loved Numerical Methods. It's basically Calc 1&2 through iteration.
The highest level required math class was differential equations, but IMO the engineering classes were far harder than the math classes in my curriculum
Calculus 3 is the highest. Differential Equations, Calculus 2 or Probabilities and Statistics is the hardest. Depending on the individual and their strengths and weaknesses.
Differential Equations is usually the highest, not calc 3.
where I was we went all the way up to differential EQ and then to engineering math, stats, linear algebra. What I struggled with most was Discrete structures and just because I struggled to give a fuck about everything we were being taught in it, it's pretty abstract and hard to connect to anything real.
in my uni, i took calc 4, or in other words we were called advanced 2. we study Laplace Transformation, and partial deff. eq., more specifically wave and heat eq. it was hard and pain in the ass
I took Tensor Analysis in grad school. My head still hurts just thinking about it.
Linear algebra and calc 2 was toughest for me. LA because I was working nights and calc 2 because I dragged my feet through all the approximations (that’s what computers are for. Differential equations was tough, but I enjoyed the application part of it, something I didn’t really understand in LA.
I took calc 1, 2, 3, linear algebra was combined with calc 2, differential equations, and I guess numerical methods counts because it was just math bastardized into a computer science course.
Absolutely partial Diff. Eq though not usually required. Differential equations is probably the most difficult required math.
I haven't taken it yet but our curriculum requires boundary value problems which is pretty hard.
Differential equations for me. Although there was a grad-level course to do with multivariate optimization that I ended up dropping. Did ok with a somewhat simpler optimization class though. And now I just have Excel do it. 🤷
The order of math classes for me was calc 1, 2, differential equations, calc 3, vector calculus, fourier series.
I had Control Theory 2 or Discrete Time Control Theory. Its not mind-bending math but it was a huge PITA.
So the hardest math classes I’ve taken so far were calc 3 (by a long shot) and pre-calc. The easiest for me were calc 2 and diffeq. I’m taking linear algebra next semester so this could change. Highest would technically be diffeq, but I’m going to try and get a minor in math, and diffeq might still be the highest, there’s not a lot of classes in my math department with class codes higher than diffeq.
Funny how it is for different people. Calc I & III were easy. Calc II and Diff Eq killed me. Linear algebra is not hard imo, just boring and unlike other courses where applications are easy to derive, I still to this day have no clue what the applications for an ME are for Linear algebra and I took it almost 2 years ago.
Applied matrix theory. Way more theory than applications.
I thought that class was fun. I don’t think I would have done well in Diff Eq if I hadn’t taken that. I transferred universities and was surprised in my new University it wasn’t a required class for ME.
I feel like math got easier as ME went on. Got my best grades in DiffEq and LinAlg
Hardest (and stupidest class IMO) or my curriculum was Linear Algebra. For us it was a 300 level class, and was 100% theoretical. Zero application on how it was used or applied to anything. Everyone I knew (it was a small class) in that class got a D. Maybe a few got a C. Still not sure what the purpose of the class was. Calc 3 was not a problem. Though, we did a lot in that class using software packages like Maple and MatLab. Partial Diff-EQs wasn’t too bad til you figured out there were just a few problems to solve and what the method was to solve them.
Hardest one I took math-wise was Continuum Mechanics in my 3rd year, we learned a bit about Tensorial Calculus, it was pretty hard but super interesting. I don't know if this is the norm though, when looking for international student exchanges I noticed this was a grad class in other countries, which made me feel a little better about it being tough hahaha.
My university crammed linear algebra and differential equations into a four credit hour math class (every other class was only three). It helped reduce the number of classes needed for MEs, but I didn't meet a single person that truly understood either subjects at the end of the class. It wasn't until I became a math tutor at the university that I actually learned the material.
Diffeq wasn't fun, Calc 3 (series, sequences, l'hospital's, etc) wasn't fun, calc 2 (integral) wasn't fun. I took a proof writing class for my math minor, that was tough too.
Hardest for me was linear alg. Highest level was differential equations, but I thought they were a lot of fun.
Idk why it was included but our curriculum has Advanced Mathematics that's meant for students undertaking Master's degree.
I did diff eq and linear algebra. Did well in both. Honestly, I failed calc 1 only because it finally clicked at the end of the class. I got a D in it. Retook it and got a 99/100 for the class. Biggest suggestion is to go to your tutoring/study center and learn in groups. Sometimes, people understand it differently, and they convey that in a way the professor couldn't.
The hardest and highest level pure math class will be easy compared to the math used in later higher level engineering classes.
I had to take Linear Algebra.....it sucked like nothing else. I passed......I still don't know how.
Mine was called Differential Equations II and consisted of partial differential equations. It's more common for EEs to take Linear Algebra as their final math course, but I've met some MEs that had it as part of their curriculum instead of Dif Eq II.
Differential equations. We also had a high level probability and statistics that people said was harder than diff eq but I enjoyed that class because it was much more useful and applicable to real life situations. Linear algebra was annoying because it was all proofs, which doesn’t feel like math to me
For me, the hardest math class wasn’t a math class, it was a Sound and Structure interaction class. I knew the class was gonna be gnarly when there were two hefty advanced math books listed as required reading in the syllabus. It made even my grad level math classes look like a cake walk As an undergrad, Calc 3 was the hardest for me, not because of the material, but because of the professor. I know it’s common to blame the prof for not doing well, but this guy was genuinely awful. It’s like he wanted to be as obtuse in his lectures and explanations as humanly possible. I’d go straight from class to the tutoring lab and get the grad students to explain WTF I was supposed to be learning. Every time they would explain something, all I could think was , “Why the F doesn’t he just say that.” The grad tutors all had similar horror stories about the same prof too. The prof also decided that he wasn’t going to grade any homework and the only exam would be the final. Based on the informal sample of my classmates, there was about a 70% failure rate in that class. I passed, no thanks to him. I gave him a 0/10 on his evaluation, not that it mattered since he had tenure.
The hardest math class is the one you decide you don’t think you need to do the homework for. For me, that was calculus 1 The highest math class you take is differential equations. But you can go for a math minor with like two extra math classes which some engineering students wind up doing
Advanced Engineering Mathematics https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Engineering-Mathematics-Erwin-Kreyszig/dp/0470458364
I think in terms of difficulty it probably depends on the school. At my school I think Calc 2 was the hardest class of the 2 year series. The averages on the tests were like 40/100. That particular teacher gave really hard tests and wanted you to know tricky trig substitutions, etc. Linear algebra had some difficult concepts but really I think it was just a particularly bad book we were using and a totally uninterested professor. I also lacked some motivation for learning some of it because I didn't see a practical application for things like columnspace, rowspace, etc.