WHAT IS MATHEMATICAL

MODELLING?

Dr. Gerda de Vries

Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematical Sciences
University of Alberta

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Mathematical modelling is the use of
mathematics to

• describe real-world phenomena

• investigate important questions about the ob-
served world
• explain real-world phenomena
• test ideas
• make predictions about the real world

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The real world refers to

• engineering
• physics
• physiology
• ecology
• wildlife management
• chemistry
• economics
• sports
• ...

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EXAMPLES of real-world questions that
can be investigated with mathematical mod-
els

Suppose there is a baseball strike. We might

be interested in predicting the effects of higher
players’ salaries on the long-term health of the
baseball industry.

In the management of a fishery, it may be im-

portant to determine the optimal sustainable
yield of a harvest and the sensitivity of the
species to population fluctuations caused by
harvesting.

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One can think of mathematical modelling as an
activity or process that allows a mathematician
to be a chemist, an ecologist, an economist, a
physiologist . . . .

Instead of undertaking experiments in the real

world, a modeller undertakes experiments
on mathematical representations of the real
world.

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 Process of mathematical modelling

Real-world Formulation -
Model
data
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Test Analysis

Predictions/ 
Interpretation Mathematical
explanations conclusions

There is no best model, only better models.

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 Challenge in mathematical modelling

“. . . not to produce the most comprehensive

descriptive model

but

to produce the simplest possible model that

incorporates the major features of the
phenomenon of interest.”

Howard Emmons

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Two hands-on modelling activities

• Modelling short-track running races

• How should a bird select worms?

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Modelling short-track running races

Consider the following two situations:

Situation 1:
Donovan Bailey runs the 100-metre dash at
sea-level against a headwind of 2 m/s. His
time is 9.93 seconds.

Situation 2:
Maurice Green runs the 100-metre dash at an
altitude of 500 metres in windless conditions.
His time is 9.92 seconds.

Who is the better runner?

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Distance and velocity profiles of Maurice
Green’s 100-metre race at the 1997 World
Championships in Athens, Greece

100

80
distance (m)

60

40

20

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
15
velocity (m/s)

10

0
0 2 4 6 8 10

time (s)

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Simulated distance and velocity profiles
(A = 12.2 m/s2 and τ = 0.892 s)

100

80
distance (m)

60

40

20

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
15
velocity (m/s)

10

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12

time (s)

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Effect of drag term and headwind on
simulated race times

A τ D w Race Time
12.2 0.892 0 0 10.08 s
12.2 0.892 0.00166 0 10.21 s
12.2 0.892 0.00166 −2 10.26 s

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How should a bird select worms?

Consider a bird searching a patch of lawn for

worms, and suppose that there are two types
of worms living in the lawn:

big, fat, juicy ones

(highly nutritious)

and

long, thin, skinny ones

(less nutritious)

Which worms should the bird eat?

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 Afterword

Experimental scientists are very good at taking

apart the real world and studying small com-
ponents.

Since the real world is nonlinear, fitting the

components together is a much harder puzzle.

Mathematical modelling allows us to do just

that.

Ideally, the combination of science and mod-

elling leads to a complete understanding of the
phenomenon being studied.

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 Contact information

Email:
devries@math.ualberta.ca

Webpage:
http://www.math.ualberta.ca/˜devries

Download slide presentation, modelling ac-

tivities, answer keys:
http://www.math.ualberta.ca/˜devries/erc2001

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