Taking Calculus II for fun?

On a side note, as a math tutor it is wonderful to see someone say “take calculus II for fun.” I spend a lot of time working with people that aren’t good at and don’t enjoy math. I listen to a lot of complaints about it. It’s good to see that some people that may not even be pursuing a mathematical field can see math as an interesting and important topic.

Calculus II is one of those classes that breaks a lot of people because they go into it almost afraid of it. They hear so much about how hard it is…and yes, it is hard. But it’s not as hard as some people make it out to be. There’s a good amount of memorization involved in calc II, which a lot of people struggle with. There are a lot of case-specific integration formulas, and one has to be able to recognize the patterns and recall the correct formula before applying it. Some professors allow some kind of note sheet or note card for exams containing the important integration formulas. Some of them (like my calc professors) don’t, which adds an extra element to it. Calc II is in many respects the meat and the bones of calculus, and you’ll definitely gain some problem solving skills in it.

Maybe then you can take calc III. That’s when you start working in three dimensions and working with vectors and surfaces. That’s when things really get fun. :wink: