Season 7 Episode 11
How can maths help us understand population dynamics? On this episode, we'll find out!
Further Reading
Lotka-Voltera
For more on these equations, see this page. That Wikipedia page has some external links to Wolfram Demonstrations Project. I like this one . Once it’s loaded, click in the graph to set an initial condition (an initial number of rabbits and foxes). The picture will update to show you what happens next, and the small plots on the left will update to show you how the populations are changing over time. You can also change the parameters in the model.
Chaos in dynamics
We mentioned chaos briefly on the show. For an intro to this fascinating topic, you might like this Plus magazine article on the logistic map and chaos https://plus.maths.org/content/maths-minute-logistic-map . The classic book on this topic is "Chaos" by James Gleick.
SIR model with Francesca
A few years ago, we had an episode with Francesca combining mathematical biology and chaos OOMC Season 2 Episode 7. That's worth a watch if you're interested in mathematical modelling, differential equations, and/or chaotic dynamics!
If you want to get in touch with us about any of the mathematics in the video or the further reading, feel free to email us on oomc [at] maths.ox.ac.uk.