Starter Kit

Materials for teaching modeling with differential equations

SIMIODE offers class materials and support for faculty who want to use modeling to motivate and teach differential equations. Everything in SIMIODE is FREE and all materials are offered according to a Creative Commons license.

An example of a first day project M&M Simulation of Death and Immigration will give you a good idea what to expect from a modeling scenario. This scenario has been used by thousands of students over many years as a first day activity introducing differential equation. After you have looked it over you might take a look at these other choices.

First Day Activities

• Ant Tunnel Building, a simple approach to create differential equation model
• Modeling Spread of Oil Slick, poor data for a differential equation model

Modeling Scenarios for Early Topics

• Falling Column of Water illustrates Torricelli's Law
• Chemical Kinetics based on students' chemistry texts
• Spread of the word JUMBO in literature exploring exponential growth
• Dissipation of retinal gas bubbles following surgery using clinical data
• Adsorption simulation on a wall with first-order differential equation
• Others scenario samples include Potato cooling; Finance of savings and loans; student simulation of spread of common cold.

Modeling Scenarios for Systems of Differential Equations

• LSD absorption compartment models and performance on arithmetic tasks
• Kidney dialysis for designing alternate machine designs
• Modeling ibuprofen in the body for pain relief
• Algae self-replenishment in a Mexican lake
• Optimal insect colony design in nature and a look into optimal control
• Struggle for Existence and Soviet vodka production
• Disease spread in a boarding school and parameter estimation using data

Modeling Scenarios for Second Order Differential Equations

• Analysis of data and modeling for falling coffee filters and whiffle balls
• Following shuttlecock flight using data from the literature
• Construction of Tuned Mass Dampers to stop catastrophes in structures
• Several pendulum studies
• Many spring mass modeling opportunities
• How do we tune a radio?
• Exciting a mystery circuit to discover its purpose

Modeling Scenarios Involving Projectile Motion

• Design of a fair stadium - homeruns in all directions equally likely
• How deep is a well - drop a pebble and listen
• Optimal baseball cut-off relay position
• Ferris wheel catch and the meaning of hang time

Helpful Materials

• Resource Guide of SIMIODE materials
• Sample Course Syllabus using SIMIODE modeling materials

Publishing Your Own Materials

• Create a blog or read a fellow teacher's blog.
• Modifying materials or creating and publishing your own material

Registration

When you register, be sure to say why you are registering as we manually approve registrations to keep the community on-target and keep out spammers. Faculty will be placed into our Teachers Group so they can access the teacher's portion of all scenarios. Students can also register and participate in the community, but only have access to the statement of the modeling scenarios.