[oclug] [OT] Pinko in our midst! ;) (Was: HP Linux to ship ne xt week.)

[Francis Pinteric]

--- Ross Jordan <rjordan at student.math.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
> IIRC, there is some truth to Francis' claim -- just a little mixed
> up.
> The fibonacci sequence was developed to model a rabbit population
> by
> month. 
> see:
> www.mcs.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/R.Knot/Fibonacci/fibrab.html

Well, first it doesn't matter if it's rabbits or humans and the time
scale is irrelevent. What may take a rabbit a short time to do will
take humans centuries to accomplish. The sequence itself is still
valid, in a way, with humans.

I did a little research, and it turns out that there is a model for
population growth. Here's the link.
http://www.geom.umn.edu/education/calc-init/population

It turns out that there are a series of differential equations that
they use to describe how a population behaves. In an unbounded
population, that is nobody every leaves the population (that is
nobody dies), the growth is indeed exponential.

Then they consider various methods of equilibrium and so forth to
maintain the population. I think it's rather interesting. However,
it's a model that hasn't really been tested so who knows if it's
right or not.

Whatever the true model, it's probably some sort of differential
equation rather than a purely exponential or fibinocci sequence.

>>>--fja-"

=====
Descartes Dictim: I think therefore I am.
Pinteric's Corollary: Only those who think exist.

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