Modeling Population Growth

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...

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.

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...

Students explore the concept of population growth. In this population growth lesson, students graph the population growth of a 'calcumite' which is a made up species whose population grows exponentially. Students plot the data over the...

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...

Here learners get to flex some serious algebraic muscles through an investigation of logistic growth. The properties of the constant terms in the logistic growth formula are unraveled in a short but content-dense activity. Moving...

Explore differential equations by using models representing growth and decline. Using calculus, learners will investigate exponential and logistic growth in the context of several models representing the growth or decline of a...

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.

In this exponential population growth worksheet, students read word problems and determine the exponential growth of a specified populations.  They find the percent of growth and compute exponential regressions.  Students graph...

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.