Applied Mathematics Commons^™

Human Capital At Home: Evidence From A Randomized Evaluation In The Philippines, Noam Angrist, Sarah Kabay, Dean S. Karlan, Lincoln Lau, Kevin M. Wong

Education Division Scholarship

Children spend most of their time at home in their early years, yet efforts to promote human capital at home in many low- and middle-income settings remain limited. We conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate an intervention which encourages parents and caregivers to foster human capital accumulation among their children between ages 3 and 5, with a focus on math and phonics skills. Children gain 0.52 and 0.51 standard deviations relative to the control group on math and phonics tests, respectively (p<0.001). A year later effects persist, but math gains dissipate to 0.15 (p=0.06) and phonics to 0.13 (p=0.12). Effects appear to be mediated largely through instructional support by parents and not other parent investment mechanisms, such as more positive parent-child interactions or additional time spent on education at home beyond the intervention. Our results show that parents can be effective conduits of educational instruction even in low-resource settings.

Mathematical Modeling, Analysis, And Simulation Of Patient Addiction Journey, Adan Baca, Diego Gonzalez, Alonso G. Ogueda, Holly C. Matto, Padmanabhan Seshaiyer

CODEE Journal

This paper aims to develop a mathematical model to study the dynamics of addiction as individuals go through their detox journey. The motivation for this work is three fold. First, there has been a significant increase in drug overdose and drug addiction following the COVID-19 pandemic, and addiction may be interpreted as a infectious disease. Secondly, the dynamics of infectious disease could be modeled via compartmental models described by differential equations and one can therefore leverage the existing analytical and numerical methods to model addiction as a disease. Finally, the work helps to inform how mathematical models governed by differential …

Numerical Issues For A Non-Autonomous Logistic Model, Marina Mancuso, Kaitlyn M. Martinez, Carrie Manore, Fabio Milner

CODEE Journal

The user-friendly aspects of standardized, built-in numerical solvers in
computational software aid in the simulations of many problems solved using
differential equations. The tendency to trust output from built-in numerical
solvers may stem from their ease-of-use or the user’s unfamiliarity with the
inner workings of the numerical methods. Here, we show a case where the
most frequently used and trusted built-in numerical methods in Python’s
SciPy library produce incorrect, inconsistent, and even unstable approxima-
tions for a the non-autonomous logistic equation, which is used to model
biological phenomena across a variety of disciplines. Some of the most com-
monly used …

Capturing Latent Abilities And Latent Capacities Of Professional Golfers Using Nonlinear Mixed Effects Growth Modeling, Mac Wetherbee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study demonstrates an effective and innovative approach to measuring the latent athletic abilities and capacities of professional golfers. I used nonlinear mixed effects growth modeling (e.g., Dynamic Measurement Modeling) to measure professional golfers’ ability levels and capacities for improvement. I accomplished this using a two-stage modeling approach. First, a crossed linear mixed effects model estimated each player’s ability level in each year. In the second stage, I used the results from the first stage to estimate several candidate nonlinear growth trajectories for players’ abilities over time. The quadratic growth trajectory was the best-fitting of these trajectories and was used …

The Perspectives Of Using Desmos For Students’ Conceptual Understanding And Procedural Fluency To Solve Linear Equations, Larmel Dimatulac Madrilejos

Theses and Dissertations

The study examines the perspectives of using the Desmos calculator of Algebra I students' conceptual understanding and procedural fluency to write, graph, and solve linear equations in Algebra I STAAR. While the students have continuously used technology for mathematics assessment, emergent bilingual students in South Texas still need help passing high-stakes testing. The framework of the study is grounded in the theory of mathematical education (knowledge of mathematics educators to teach), the theory of mathematical learning (understanding how students learn mathematics), and social constructivism. The study seeks ways to teach all students, mainly the minority, to learn …

Casar Public Lecture: "Women & Stem Education In Egypt & The Us: Stepping Into A Man's World Of Science & Technology", The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar, Yasmeen El Ghazaly, Mark W. Deets

Performances, Events, and Presentations

In celebration of International Women's Day this Month, we held a public lecture titled: "Women & STEM Education in Egypt & the US : Stepping into a Man's World of Science & Technology " on Thursday March 28th, 2024 from 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm (assembly hour) – Conference and Visitor Center, Mary Cross Hall AUC New Cairo Despite a plethora of advances made by women in the world we live in today, they are still woefully underrepresented in the realm of STEM education and the associated career paths. At this event, we uncovered the history, reasons & challenges women …

Cognitive Load Scale In Learning Formal Definition Of Limit: A Rasch Model Approach, Rina Oktaviyanthi, Ria Noviana Agus, Mark Lester B. Garcia, Kornkanok Lertdechapat

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Constructing proofs for the limit using the formal definition induces a high cognitive load. Common assessment tools, like cognitive load scales, lack specificity for the concept of limits. This research aims to validate an instrument tailored to assess cognitive load in students focused on the formal definition of limits, addressing the need for diverse strategies in education. The research employs a quantitative survey design with a Rasch model approach, utilizing a data collection instrument in the form of a questionnaire. Subsequently, the data are analyzed by focusing on three aspects: (1) item fit to the Rasch model, (2) unidimensionality, and …

Infusing Quantitative Reasoning Skills Into A Differential Equation Class In An Urban Public Community College, Tanvir Prince

Numeracy

This research centers on implementing Quantitative Reasoning (QR) within a differential equations course at an urban public community college. As a participant in the Numeracy Infusion for College Educators (NICE) faculty development program, I sought to integrate QR skills into my curriculum. Students in the course were introduced to QR goals using real-world data sets, particularly those related to population growth, which aim to enhance their understanding, sharpen their problem-solving abilities, and cultivate a positive perspective on the real-world relevance of mathematics. Preliminary findings indicate varied levels of QR skill development among students. These results underscore the potential benefits of …

Odes And Mandatory Voting, Christoph Borgers, Natasa Dragovic, Anna Haensch, Arkadz Kirshtein, Lilla Orr

CODEE Journal

This paper presents mathematics relevant to the question whether voting should be mandatory. Assuming a static distribution of voters’ political beliefs, we model how politicians might adjust their positions to raise their share of the vote. Various scenarios can be explored using our app at https: //centrism.streamlit.app/. Abstentions are found to have great impact on the dynamics of candidates, and in particular to introduce the possibility of discontinuous jumps in optimal candidate positions. This is an unusual application of ODEs. We hope that it might help engage some students who may find it harder to connect with the more customary …

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.

Using A Sand Tank Groundwater Model To Investigate A Groundwater Flow Model, Christopher Evrard, Callie Johnson, Michael A. Karls, Nicole Regnier

CODEE Journal

A Sand Tank Groundwater Model is a tabletop physical model constructed of plexiglass and filled with sand that is typically used to illustrate how groundwater water flows through an aquifer, how water wells work, and the effects of contaminants introduced into an aquifer. Mathematically groundwater flow through an aquifer can be modeled with the heat equation. We will show how a Sand Tank Groundwater Model can be used to simulate groundwater flow through an aquifer with a no flow boundary condition.

Modeling Aircraft Takeoffs, Catherine Cavagnaro

CODEE Journal

Real-world applications can demonstrate how mathematical models describe and provide insight into familiar physical systems. In this paper, we apply techniques from a first-semester differential equations course that shed light on a problem from aviation. In particular, we construct several differential equations that model the distance that an aircraft requires to become airborne. A popular thumb rule that pilots have used for decades appears to emanate from one of these models. We will see that this rule does not follow from a representative model and suggest a better method of ensuring safety during takeoff. Aircraft safety is definitely a matter …

Fitting A Covid-19 Model Incorporating Senses Of Safety And Caution To Local Data From Spartanburg County, South Carolina, D. Chloe Griffin, Amanda Mangum

CODEE Journal

Common mechanistic models include Susceptible-Infected-Removed (SIR) and Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Removed (SEIR) models. These models in their basic forms have generally failed to capture the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic's multiple waves and do not take into account public policies such as social distancing, mask mandates, and the ``Stay-at-Home'' orders implemented in early 2020. While the Susceptible-Vaccinated-Infected-Recovered-Deceased (SVIRD) model only adds two more compartments to the SIR model, the inclusion of time-dependent parameters allows for the model to better capture the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic when surveillance testing was common practice for a large portion of the population. We find …

Analyzing A Smartphone Battle Using Bass Competition Model, Maila Hallare, Alireza Hosseinkhan, Hasala Senpathy K. Gallolu Kankanamalage

CODEE Journal

Many examples of 2x2 nonlinear systems in a first-course in ODE or a mathematical modeling class come from physics or biology. We present an example that comes from the business or management sciences, namely, the Bass diffusion model. We believe that students will appreciate this model because it does not require a lot of background material and it is used to analyze sales data and serve as a guide in pricing decisions for a single product. In this project, we create a 2x2 ODE system that is inspired by the Bass diffusion model; we call the resulting system the Bass …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Convolution And Autoencoders Applied To Nonlinear Differential Equations, Noah Borquaye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autoencoders, a type of artificial neural network, have gained recognition by researchers in various fields, especially machine learning due to their vast applications in data representations from inputs. Recently researchers have explored the possibility to extend the application of autoencoders to solve nonlinear differential equations. Algorithms and methods employed in an autoencoder framework include sparse identification of nonlinear dynamics (SINDy), dynamic mode decomposition (DMD), Koopman operator theory and singular value decomposition (SVD). These approaches use matrix multiplication to represent linear transformation. However, machine learning algorithms often use convolution to represent linear transformations. In our work, we modify these approaches to …

Modeling-Forward Initiatives In Differential Equations, Laura Ellwein

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

A Modeling Framework For Minimizing Spread Of Mathematics Anxiety In College Students, Sara Sony, Majid Bani-Yaghoub

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Msis-Ledder: Empowering Future Physicians: Modeling Disease Transmission With Netlogo To Encourage Mathematical Reasoning, Anne E. Yust

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Fibonacci Differential Equation And Associated Spiral Curves, Mehmet Pakdemirli

CODEE Journal

The Fibonacci differential equation is defined with analogy from the Fibonacci difference equation. The linear second order differential equation is solved for suitable initial conditions. The solutions constitute spirals in the polar coordinates. The properties of the spirals with respect to the Fibonacci numbers and the differences between the new spirals and classical spirals are discussed.

(R2052) Flow Patterns For Newtonian And Non-Newtonian Fluids In A Cylindrical Pipe, Erick Sanchez, Dambaru Bhatta

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

A fully developed laminar steady flow of an incompressible, viscous fluid in a horizontal cylindrical pipe is considered here. Flow patterns for an incompressible, viscous fluid for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids such as shear-thinning, shear-thickening and Bingham plastic fluids are analyzed in this study. Assuming that the flow is only due to the wall shear stress and the pressure drop, the velocity component in the axial direction for these cases is derived. Computational results of the velocity profiles for various cases are obtained using MATLAB and presented in graphical forms. It is observed that the velocity profile is parabolic …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

Modeling Immune System Dynamics During Hiv Infection And Treatment With Differential Equations, Nicole Rychagov

CODEE Journal

An inquiry-based project that discusses immune system dynamics during HIV infection using differential equations is presented. The complex interactions between healthy T-cells, latently infected T-cells, actively infected T-cells, and the HIV virus are modeled using four nonlinear differential equations. The model is adapted to simulate long term HIV dynamics, including the AIDS state, and is used to simulate the long term effects of the traditional antiretroviral therapy (ART). The model is also used to test viral rebound over time of combined application of ART and a new drug that blocks the reactivation of the viral genome in the infected cells …

Impact Of Teaching Mathematics With Four Teaching Strategies On Fifth Grade Students’ Learning Of Fractions Addition And Subtraction, Nabil Riziq Al Farra

Dissertations

There are different tools, resources, and materials that mathematics teachers may use to enhance the teaching and learning processes under many types of teaching strategies such as technology (e.g., videos and virtual manipulatives), real objects (e.g., concrete manipulatives), and other teaching strategies are traditional (e.g., lectures). Some of the most important things that a teacher has to consider is the students’ learning needs and how to reach to their minds by different teaching strategies with a variety of resources and assess which are more effective in students’ learning anddevelopment in mathematics.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the …

Problem Of The Week: A Student-Led Initiative To Bring Mathematics To A Broader Audience, Jordan M. Sahs, Brad Horner

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Problem of the Week (POW!) is a weekly undergraduate mathematics competition hosted by two graduate students from the UNO Math Department. It started with the goal to showcase variety, creativity, and intrigue in math to those who normally feel math is dry, rote, and formulaic. Problems shine light on both hidden gems and popular recreational math, both math history and contemporary research, both iconic topics and nontraditional ones, both pure abstraction and real-world application. Now POW! aims to increase availability and visibility in Omaha and beyond. Select problems from Fall 2021 to Spring 2023 are highlighted here: these received noteworthy …

Student Performance In Traditional In-Person Vs. Online Sections Of An Introductory Graduate Mathematics Course, Lauran E. Kittle

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of technology impacts nearly every aspect of everyday life, to include education and learning. The availability of distance learning (online) classes has increased drastically in the last few decades, expanding access to education for millions of people. However, it is imperative to consider exactly how the growth of technology impacts education – whether it is a positive, negative, or neutral impact. Previous research comparing distance learning and in-residence (traditional) classes have widely mixed, disparate conclusions. This type of research, two-stage analysis, and modeling has yet to be conducted on a graduate school level. For this reason, a detailed …

Beginner's Analysis Of Financial Stochastic Process Models, David Garcia

HMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the use of geometric Brownian motion (GBM) as a financial model for predicting stock prices. The model is first introduced and its assumptions and limitations are discussed. Then, it is shown how to simulate GBM in order to predict stock price values. The performance of the GBM model is then evaluated in two different periods of time to determine whether it's accuracy has changed before and after March 23, 2020.

Matemáticas Financieras Aplicadas, Odair Triana Calderón

Ciencias Administrativas, Económicas y Contables

Teniendo en cuenta que las matemáticas son una herramienta fundamental en las Ciencias Administrativas, especialmente en las finanzas. MATEMÁTICAS FINANCIERAS APLICADAS, busca dar solución a aquellos problemas de tipo económico y financiero que se presentan en una economía, organización o núcleo familiar, mediante la utilización de modelos matemáticos y la aplicación en Microsoft Excel.

El texto realiza un estudio de problemas de inversión y financiación, donde el cálculo de intereses con base en un capital y atendiendo a variables como el tiempo y las tasas de rendimiento, permite el desarrollo de casos utilizando el interés simple e interés compuesto.

Por …

Ambientes De Inclusión Para El Desarrollo Del Pensamiento Numérico Con Población Con Síndrome De Down, Luisa Valeria Escobar Buitrago, Ingry Yuliana Torres Garzón, Juan David Firigua Bejarano

Educación

La importancia de tratar sobre una educación inclusiva es hacer que la humanidad obtenga la aceptación hacia la diversidad, donde se encuentre un mundo lleno de posibilidades reconociendo todos los tipos de población entre ella las personas con Síndrome de Down, lo cual consiste en que la educación esté centrado en el respeto y la valoración de la diversidad, haciendo un enfoque general en las necesidades que esta población tiene, desarrollando habilidades para su desenvolvimiento tanto personal como laboral en determinada sociedad, por lo tanto el objetivo principal de este trabajo es desarrollar el pensamiento numérico de los estudiantes de …

Comparison Of Assessment And Teaching Modalities For A Quantitative Biology Course, Dmitry Kondrashov

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.