Modeling Population Growth

Will all the people be able to fit? Using historical population growth rates for continents, pupils determine estimates for the future population. The second day, pupils investigate whether a linear, quadratic, or exponential function...

Modeling population growth gives learners an opportunity to experiment with real data. Comparing the growth rates in this real-life task strengthens learners' understanding that exponential functions change by equal factors over equal...

It's scary how fast bacteria can grow — exponentially. Class members solve exponential equations, including those modeling bacteria and population growth. Lesson emphasizes numerical approaches rather than graphical or algebraic.

How many people did you say? An instructive lesson uses human population growth to explore linear and exponential functions. Learners work cooperatively to use real-world population data and apply concepts of models.

How can you safely model exponential growth and decay? A hands-on activity uses candies to model not only exponential decay, but also exponential growth. Exponential equations are fitted by hand and by use of a calculator to the data...

Does a linear or exponential model fit the data better? Guide your class through an exploration to answer this question. Pupils create an exponential and linear model for a data set and draw conclusions, based on predictions and the...

Explore the fascinating study of population growth using real-time online growth calculators, animated maps, and primary sources. Have researchers get out their notebooks and, preferably, one computer for each one or two learners. They...

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...

Students examine both historical and recent estimates of world population. They identify regions of the world that have had significant population growth in the last decade and speculate on reasons for this.

Through the exploration of population growth of a bacteria population, high schoolers learn about and observe bacteria population over a 20 hour period.  Students graph the population growth using a scatter plot and discuss its logistic...