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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
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Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Raising Student Awareness Of Environmental Issues Via Writing Assignments With Differential Equations, Michelle L. Ghrist
Raising Student Awareness Of Environmental Issues Via Writing Assignments With Differential Equations, Michelle L. Ghrist
CODEE Journal
In this paper, I discuss two environmentally-focused writing assignments that I developed and implemented in recent integral calculus and differential equations courses. These models of carbon storage and PCB’s in a river provide interesting applications of one-compartment mixing problems. The assignments were intended to focus student attention on sustainability concerns while also developing other essential skills. I discuss these assignments and their effect on my students’ technical writing and environmental awareness. Detailed introductory instructions and mostly complete solutions to these assignments appear in the appendices, to include sample student work.
Blue Whale And Krill Populations Modeling, Li Zhang
Blue Whale And Krill Populations Modeling, Li Zhang
CODEE Journal
We present an intriguing topic in an undergraduate mathematical modeling course where predator-prey models are taught to our students. We describe modeling activities and the use of technology that can be implemented in teaching this topic. Through modeling activities, students are expected to use the numerical and graphical methods to observe the qualitative long-term behavior of predator and prey populations. Although there are other choices of predators and prey, we find that using blue whales and krill as predator and prey, respectively, would be most beneficial in strengthening our students' awareness of protecting endangered species and its impact on climate …
Solar Panels, Euler’S Method And Community-Based Projects: Connecting Differential Equations With Climate Change, Victor J. Donnay
Solar Panels, Euler’S Method And Community-Based Projects: Connecting Differential Equations With Climate Change, Victor J. Donnay
CODEE Journal
How does mathematics connect with the search for solutions to the climate emergency? One simple connection, which can be explored in an introductory differential equations course, can be found by analyzing the energy generated by solar panels or wind turbines. The power generated by these devices is typically recorded at standard time intervals producing a data set which gives a discrete approximation to the power function $P(t)$. Using numerical techniques such as Euler’s method, one can determine the energy generated. Here we describe how we introduce the topic of solar power, apply Euler’s method to determine the energy generated, and …
Modeling The Ecological Dynamics Of A Three-Species Fish Population In The Chesapeake Bay, Iordanka N. Panayotova, Maila B. Hallare
Modeling The Ecological Dynamics Of A Three-Species Fish Population In The Chesapeake Bay, Iordanka N. Panayotova, Maila B. Hallare
CODEE Journal
We present an inquiry-based project that is designed for a mathematical modeling class of undergraduate junior or senior students. It discusses a three-species mathematical model that simulates the biological interactions among three important fish species in the Chesapeake Bay: the prey Atlantic menhaden and its two competing predators, the striped bass and the non-native blue catfish. The model also considers the following ecological issues related to these three species: the overfishing of menhaden, the invasiveness of the blue catfish, and the harvesting of blue catfish as a method to control the population. A series of modeling scenarios are considered based …