Place a piece of mold-free bread in a plastic bag with a small amount of water and

leave the bread in a warm place. Each day, record the area of the bread that is covered
with mold. (One way to do this is to trace the grid from a piece of graph paper onto a
clear piece of plastic. Hold the plastic over the bread and count the number of squares
that are mostly covered by mold.)
Warning: It takes at least two weeks to accumulate a reasonable amount of data. Some
types of bread seem to be resistant to mold growth, and the bread just dries out. If
the mold grows, then after about a week the bread will look pretty disgusting. Take
precautions to make sure your assignment isn’t thrown out. In your report, address the
following questions:
1. Model the growth of mold using an exponential growth model. How accurately does
the model fit the data? Be sure to explain carefully how you obtained the value for
the growth-rate parameter.
2. Model the growth of mold using a logistic growth model. How accurately does the
model fit the data? Be sure to explain carefully how you obtained the value of the
growth-rate parameter and carrying capacity.
3. Discuss the models for mold growth population. Were there any surprises? Does
it matter that we are measuring the area covered by the mold rather than the total
weight of the mold? To what extent would you believe predictions of future mold
populations based on these models?
Your report: You should include in your report the details of the type of bread used,
where it was kept, and how and how often the mold was measured. Your analysis of the
models may include qualitative, numerical, and analytic arguments, and graphs of data
and solutions of your models as appropriate. (Remember that a well-chosen picture can
be worth a thousand words, but a thousand pictures aren’t worth anything.) Do not
hand in the piece of bread.

LAB 1.3 Logistic Population Models with Harvesting

In this lab, we consider logistic models of population growth that have been modified
to include terms that account for “harvesting.” In particular, you should imagine a fish
population subject to various degrees and types of fishing. The differential equation
models are given below. (Your instructor will indicate the values of the parameters k,
N, a1, and a2 you should use. Several possible choices are listed in Table 1.10.) In your
report, you should include a discussion of the meaning of each variable and parameter
and an explanation of why the equation is written the way it is.
We have discussed three general approaches that can be employed to study a dif
ferential equation: Numerical techniques yield graphs of approximate solutions, geo
metric/qualitative techniques provide predictions of the long-term behavior of the solu
tion and in special cases analytic techniques provide explicit formulas for the solution.
In your report, you should employ as many of these techniques as is appropriate to help

144
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Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.

understand the models, and you should consider the following

equations: 1. (Logistic growth with constant harvesting) The equation

dp p
dt = kp 1 − N −
a
represents a logistic model of population growth with constant harvesting at a rate
a. For a = a1, what will happen to the fish population for various initial condi tions?
(Note: This equation is autonomous, so you can take advantage of the special
techniques that are available for autonomous equations.)
2. (Logistic growth with periodic harvesting) The equation
p
dp 1 − N − a(1 +
sin bt)
dt = kp

is a nonautonomous equation that considers periodic harvesting. What do the pa

rameters a and b represent? Let b = 1. If a = a1, what will happen to the fish
population for various initial conditions?

3. Consider the same equation as in Part 2 above, but let a = a2. What will happen to
the fish population for various initial conditions with this value of a?
Your report: In your report you should address these three questions, one at a time, in
the form of a short essay. Begin Questions 1 and 2 with a description of the meaning of
each of the variables and parameters and an explanation of why the differential equation
is the way it is. You should include pictures and graphs of data and of solutions of your
models as appropriate. (Remember that one carefully chosen picture can be worth a
thousand words, but a thousand pictures aren’t worth anything.)

Table 1.10
Possible choices for the parameters

Choice kN a1 a2
1 0.25 4 0.16 0.25
2 0.50 2 0.21 0.25
3 0.20 5 0.21 0.25
4 0.20 5 0.16 0.25
5 0.25 4 0.09 0.25
6 0.20 5 0.09 0.25
7 0.50 2 0.16 0.25
8 0.20 5 0.24 0.25
9 0.25 4 0.21 0.25
 10 0.50 2 0.09 0.25

145

Copyright 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.