Calculus Talk

Calculus (although often feared by students!) is one of the most powerful mathematical tools ever invented.

It is arguably the most natural and simplest language that allows us to describe efficiently how the natural world behaves. Therefore, the orbit of planets around the sun and the concentration of a medicine in the bloodstream are equally well described by the language of Calculus and its tools. 

On 30 July Dr Fabien Montiel, senior lecturer at the University of Otago, gave a talk to 22 keen Logan Park mathematicians about using Calculus in the real world.  With a simple exponential growth model for bacteria splitting we found that after 1 day 1mL of E. coli bacteria expands to 100 times the volume of Lake Taupo!  Improving this model with a maximum population limit we then developed a more realistic logistic growth model for bacteria. 

Dr Montiel made a strong case for including mathematics in tertiary study to better understand other disciplines and improve job prospects.