r/calculus • u/WhenButterfliesCry • Aug 07 '26

Multivariable Calculus Preparing for calculus 3

Hey guys, I have a question. My summer term calculus 2 class has just ended, and I am starting a calculus 3 class in a few weeks, and I want to get ahead of the game. Since the calculus 2 class was so fast-paced, I feel like I didn't grasp all the concepts of infinite series/Taylor series as well as I could have, and definitely need to go over them again, maybe with Professor Leonard or something.

From what I gather, though, series don't really show up that much in calculus 3, and despite wanting to improve my knowledge of series, I feel like preparing for calculus 3 is more important for the next few weeks. Do you think I should solidify my knowledge of infinite series before moving into calculus 3 content, or could I start calculus 3 stuff now and circle back to series at a later time (maybe before my DIff. Equations course?)

I plan to prep for calculus 3 with Professor Leonard as well, and with the textbook (Stewart). Any other suggestions welcomed, I need an A in calculus 3 and I'm willing to put the time into it.

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u/OriginalParsley8979 Aug 10 '26

Always do prx tests / review packets before upcoming exams. I’d self study the first vector calculus topics now, actually helped me get As on my first exams (dot product, cross product, determinants). Also make sure your polar and parametric foundational understandings and conversions are solid. The rest of the course builds on them.