In order to fulfill an upper division GE requirement, I’m taking a class called Environmental Math Modeling. The class teaches rudimentary calculus, and is geared towards non-science majors. I, however, am a math major, and mastered what’s being taught in this course long ago.
On the first day of class we were told in place of a final exam there will be a final group project/presentation. Right then and there I had what I thought was a great idea: come up with a model to show why a European swallow can or cannot carry a coconut. Perhaps address “a simple question of weight ratios,” show why an African swallow could do the job, etc.
On Wednesday the instructor officially assigned this project. In the sheet he handed out:
Damn. I’ve been trying to come up with some slant on how to sell this idea to him as an “environmental topic,” but so far I’ve got nothin’. Any ideas?
Simple: The flora and fauna of a region are part of the environment, are they not? And part of the environment of England is the fact that there are no coconuts there. Why not? Because a swallow could not have carried a coconut there to begin with.
On Wednesday, while my group (which consists of the other two math majors in the class aside from me) was trying to come up with ideas other than mine, the professor suggested we go beyond basic calculus and do some sort of predator-prey model.
So when I read your post I thought “hmm… predator-prey model…”
There’s Pac-Man… naw, dots aren’t much in the way of prey…
Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd… nah, that’s a one-on-one relationship…