Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Population Dynamics
Will human population growth always be exponential, or will we find a limiting factor we can't avoid? Young scientists learn about both exponential and logistic growth models in various animal populations. They use case studies to...
Serendip
Understanding and Predicting Changes in Population Size – Exponential and Logistic Population Growth Models vs. Complex Reality
Salmonella poisoning impacts over 200,000 people in the United States each year. Scholars learn about the growth of these bacteria using multiple approaches. Then they apply the same growth calculations to endangered species and think...
CK-12 Foundation
Limiting Factors to Population Growth: Graphing Population Growth
If any of the limiting factors in an environment change, both animal and plant populations also change. The video explains two different models of growth and the impact of limiting factors. It highlights the carrying capacity of an...
Curated OER
World Population Activity II: Excel
Students import UNEP World population data/projections from either the World Population Prospects: The 2002 Revision Population Database - UN Population Division or a text file. They graph this data by itself, and then along with...
Curated OER
Some Similarities Between the Spread of an Infectious Disease and Population Growth
Young scholars compare and contrast the spread of infectious diseases and population growth. In this biology lesson plan, students identify the exponential growth pattern of spreading diseases. They relate this to HIV infection and AIDS.
Curated OER
World Population Activity I: Excel
Students use Excel to explore population dynamics using the Logistic equation for (S-shaped) population growth. This activity is primarily intended as an introductory tutorial on using Excel.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Crystal Ball Math: Predicting Population Growth
In this environmental science fair project, students will learn some of the ways in which the population growth of animals is modeled, and then use the logistic model to determine how a population grows when it starts far below, at, or...
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: African Lions: Modeling Populations
Learn to distinguish between exponential and logistic growth of populations, identify carrying capacity, differentiate density-dependent and density-independent limiting factors, apply population models to data sets and determine...
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Population Curve: Significance of Breakpoints
Learn about three models of population growth: linear, exponential, and logistic. Then conduct a population experiment to see how populations can work in the real world, and see how linear graphs can help simplify complicated ones.