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Population Dynamics

 

Exponential Growth and Decay ...

We put the exponent in exponential growth! Learn the intuition behind the exponential growth equation, and how to apply it. Even get fancy with negative growth. Explore a range of problems involving exponential growth -- everything from drug dosing to windmills to human population. By the time we're done, you'll wonder how you ever survived without it!

 

The Mystery of the Missing Housefly

Did you know that a single housefly can produce almost 2 million offspring in a month? And that's just the female babies. So why aren't we knee-deep in houseflies? And what does carrying capacity, logistic growth, or disturbance have to do with it? You be the detective....

Bacterial Dynamics: E. coli Ate My Homework

Our ultimate quarry: the E. coli that devoured the lab report ... metaphorically speaking. Find out why a tiny amount of contamination produces an overwhelming disaster. along the way, we'll zip through the exponential growth equation, calculate doubling times, "unbend" exponential growth on a log plot, learn to deal with messy numbers, and even approach the great and mysterious constant named "e" in search of a better way of comparing growth rates. Eww, careful with that yogurt!

Mutation and Equilibrium....

Develops the Hardy-Weinberg phenotypic probabilities from an intuitive/probabilistic point of view. Demonstrates the use of chi-square to test for Hardy-Weinberg outcomes. Explores the graph of the Hardy-Weinberg outcome. Compares Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with equilibrium obtained from mutation. Discusses iteration of the mutation equation.