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Home Courses Mathematical Modeling Basics Course materials Readings 2.2 Practice problem

2.2 Practice problem

Course subject(s) 2. Improving the model

Problem

For this practice problem, you remember a story your favorite history teacher once told in class about a faraway island.

 

Flu on Ledom island

Ledom Island is inhabited by the native Htam. The island and its people was discovered in the 15th century by a group of 20 explorers. The explorers recorded that when they reached the island there were 980 Htam.

Unfortunately, the explorers all were sick with the flu when they arrived. They decided to stay for some time on the island and only to continue their travels after they had recovered.

The explorers infected the Htam people and all of them got the flu as well. In no time, the whole island was ill with the flu. Fortunately, no one died.

Problem statement

Now that you know a little about mathematical modelling, you want to impress your history teacher by building a mathematical model for the flu epidemic on Ledom Island. How could the number of sick people have grown from 20 to a full-blown epidemic?

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