Math 54 is required for all College of Chemistry majors. The format of this course is very similar to the other mandatory math courses. As the name of the course implies, this course covers solving linear systems and differential equations.
3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of discussion per week.
This class is required for all College of Chemistry majors. It is offered both fall and spring semesters. It is traditionally taken second semester sophomore semester, but can be taken anytime during the first two years of college as long as the prerequisites are fulfilled.
This course is very abstract. The concepts in the first week of the course appear fairly straightforward, but quickly become more difficult. There is a lot of content in this course, and midterm two of the class is considered very difficult. The majority of the class is linear algebra, while the last two-three weeks are focused on differential equations.
Like other math classes, there are weekly quizzes and problem sets. In addition, most instructors will have two midterms, with one of the midterms being allowed to be replaced with the final. Quality of the lectures depend on the instructor, but since it is a popular class at Cal, there are many resources available.
Written by: Justin Yeung
Last edited: Fall 2018