MAT-351 Mathematical Modeling
This course is designed to be a bridge between the study of mathematics and the application of mathematics to various fields. It provides an overview of how the mathematical pieces of an applied problem fit together. This course also presents an investigation of meaningful and realistic problems encompassing many academic disciplines including management, economics, ecology, environmental science, sociology, and psychology. Mathematical modeling is the process of creating a mathematical representation of some phenomenon in order to gain a better understanding of that phenomenon. The main goal of this course is to learn how to make creative use of some mathematical tools, such as difference equations, ordinary and partial differential equations, and numerical analysis, to build a mathematical description of realistic problems. This includes models dealing with traffic flow, communications, energy, air pollution, currency transfer, ecosystems, inheritance, populations, bargaining, and decision making.