Attack of the Killer Mosquitoes! Scientific Modeling and the Scientific Method

The Scientific Method Problem Hypothesis Experimentation Evaluation Repeat (if necessary)

Problem Scientists use simplified models to help them understand complex problems. How can we model the spread of yellow fever?

Hypothesis Create a model based on what we know. Try it outTry it out to see how fast one infected mosquito can spread yellow fever to 604,215 people (the population of Texas in 1867).

Experimentation Will our model describe the spread of yellow fever in our classroom? 1.Perform yellow fever simulation. 2.Compare the results with our model.model

Evaluation Did our model describe the classroom simulation? Will our model describe the spread of yellow fever in real life?

Looking at the Model This model makes several assumptions: 1.All mosquitoes bite at the same rate, 2.Anyone who is bit by an infected mosquito becomes infected, and 3.No people die from yellow fever. How can we test the model?