Topics in Mathematical Modeling

"This beautifully produced book should provide a joyful and stimulating reading experience for any layman who is curious about real-life events in the context of mathematical modelling, and it provides an excellent entry point to more advanced areas such as mathematical biology or climate modelling."--Z. Q. John Lu, Significance "What do global warming, predator-prey interactions, and the World Wide Web have in common? All of these disparate phenomena can be modeled using mathematics. In Topics in Mathematical Modeling, K. K. Tung demonstrates math?s relevance to problems of current research interest in biology, ecology, computer science, geophysics, engineering, and the social sciences."--Scientific American Book Club "[T]his is a good introductory book about the nature and purpose of mathematical modeling. The topics chosen and the way in which they have been motivated and presented will help a wide range of students to 'see the point' and thereby arouse and stimulate their confidence about their mathematical problem solving skills."--Bob Anderssen, Australian Mathematics Society "I was so impressed by the breadth of examples contained in its 336 pages that I immediately set about using it to update one of my own undergraduate courses... A wonderful source book for all kinds of undergraduate mathematical activities... Extremely clear... It is highly recommended."--Chris Howls, Times Higher Education "Tung's preface shows that he is a dyed-in-the-wool teacher of considerable talent whose only mission is to show the student how to take raw empirical data and turn it into a mathematical paradigm that can be analyzed. His prerequisites are solid but minimal: calculus and a smattering of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). He is wise to provide an appendix with a quick treatment of ODEs for those whose background is deficient. Tung also describes in the preface a clear path for those who wish to avoid the differential equations altogether. Tung covers some of the usual modeling topics but also many others that are surprising and refreshing."--Steven G. Krantz, UMAP Journal