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Find the distance of the shortest air route at an altitude of 6000 metres between London and Cape Town given the latitudes and longitudes. A simple application of scalar products of vectors.
Can you make matrices which will fix one lucky vector and crush another to zero?
Explore the meaning of the scalar and vector cross products and see how the two are related.
Starting with two basic vector steps, which destinations can you reach on a vector walk?
Which line graph, equations and physical processes go together?
Are these statistical statements sometimes, always or never true? Or it is impossible to say?
Here are several equations from real life. Can you work out which measurements are possible from each equation?
Why MUST these statistical statements probably be at least a little bit wrong?
Go on a vector walk and determine which points on the walk are closest to the origin.
Each week a company produces X units and sells p per cent of its stock. How should the company plan its warehouse space?
Invent scenarios which would give rise to these probability density functions.
This is our collection of tasks on the mathematical theme of 'Population Dynamics' for advanced students and those interested in mathematical modelling.
The probability that a passenger books a flight and does not turn up is 0.05. For an aeroplane with 400 seats how many tickets can be sold so that only 1% of flights are over-booked?
Explore how matrices can fix vectors and vector directions.
Can you suggest a curve to fit some experimental data? Can you work out where the data might have come from?
Was it possible that this dangerous driving penalty was issued in error?
Get further into power series using the fascinating Bessel's equation.
How would you go about estimating populations of dolphins?
Formulate and investigate a simple mathematical model for the design of a table mat.
Which of these infinitely deep vessels will eventually full up?
Many physical constants are only known to a certain accuracy. Explore the numerical error bounds in the mass of water and its constituents.
Explore the shape of a square after it is transformed by the action of a matrix.
How efficiently can you pack together disks?
See how enormously large quantities can cancel out to give a good approximation to the factorial function.
Explore the properties of matrix transformations with these 10 stimulating questions.
To investigate the relationship between the distance the ruler drops and the time taken, we need to do some mathematical modelling...
How much energy has gone into warming the planet?
Analyse these beautiful biological images and attempt to rank them in size order.
Look at the advanced way of viewing sin and cos through their power series.
Explore the possibilities for reaction rates versus concentrations with this non-linear differential equation
Shows that Pythagoras for Spherical Triangles reduces to Pythagoras's Theorem in the plane when the triangles are small relative to the radius of the sphere.
By exploring the concept of scale invariance, find the probability that a random piece of real data begins with a 1.
An observer is on top of a lighthouse. How far from the foot of the lighthouse is the horizon that the observer can see?
Build up the concept of the Taylor series
Use simple trigonometry to calculate the distance along the flight path from London to Sydney.
Match the descriptions of physical processes to these differential equations.
Work with numbers big and small to estimate and calculate various quantities in biological contexts.
Explore the relationship between resistance and temperature
Are these estimates of physical quantities accurate?
Work with numbers big and small to estimate and calulate various quantities in biological contexts.
Work with numbers big and small to estimate and calculate various quantities in physical contexts.
If a is the radius of the axle, b the radius of each ball-bearing, and c the radius of the hub, why does the number of ball bearings n determine the ratio c/a? Find a formula for c/a in terms of n.
A problem about genetics and the transmission of disease.
This problem explores the biology behind Rudolph's glowing red nose.
Could nanotechnology be used to see if an artery is blocked? Or is this just science fiction?
Imagine different shaped vessels being filled. Can you work out what the graphs of the water level should look like?
Where should runners start the 200m race so that they have all run the same distance by the finish?
Explore the meaning behind the algebra and geometry of matrices with these 10 individual problems.
Explore the properties of perspective drawing.
Use the computer to model an epidemic. Try out public health policies to control the spread of the epidemic, to minimise the number of sick days and deaths.