“Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in night. God said let Newton be and all was light.” If mathematics can decipher the secrets of nature, it can be counted upon to do nearly anything.
With so many Zombie flicks around at the movies, a professor at the University of Ottawa has developed a mathematical model that explains their epidemic effect and calculates the speed of virus transmission. Michael Dhar for the Yahoo! News reports about this model, making fascinating material for many schools’ math lessons.
The zombie equation
(bN)(S/N)Z = bSZ is the equation that explains the rate of “zombie transmission”. The equation is more like a doomsday prophesy. In effect, it means that the zombies would easily out-populate us in little time and in due course of time create a world without humans.
Mathematical models can be applied to biological creatures
The role of mathematical models in biology cannot be overestimated. Zombies are not eternal creatures- “they will die, just give them time”. Being transient beings like us, mathematical models apply to them too. It is just that calculating their epidemic involves two non-linear variables (infections and attacks on zombies).
Now, this creates a territory of extreme mathematical volatility. After all, very small changes here and there can bring about a huge change in calculation.
This mathematical territory is exciting children
Mathematical models are almost accurately predicting repercussions of quarantines and vaccinations. So take this and combine it with the Zombie apocalypse and you’re pretty guaranteed to have a top interested audience of school kid. Talk about making math accessible, useful and relevant in our daily lives….
You can read the original article here.
You can make maths relevant in just so many ways
When I was a child I used to wonder what may be the possible uses of mathematics when I grow up. In time, life answered me many times over. Math is relevant to every aspect of life. The whole universe is plotted with arithmetical accuracy.
You need math to calculate property taxes, you need it to calculate how much chlorine your swimming pool needs or what is the peak point of sugar your blood can hold.
There are so many methods in which you can make math relevant to yourself. Yes, there are a few bizarre ones too; like plotting the zombie apocalypse. In the end, it is the subject which triumphs. It just needs our disciplined involvement.
In the end, I would only like to add that math is the most beautifully frightening thing I know; so logical, so complete and so very mixable in our daily lives.
Somewhere far away, Sir Isaac Newton, happy with the turn of events, will have stopped turning in his grave.
