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Course Description

Summary

This foundational class covers modes of reasoning used in quantitative sciences and mathematics, using environmental questions for many classroom examples and projects. We will start by interrogating numbers and equations, applying problem-solving strategies, and gaining a deeper understanding of functions. We will apply these skills while learning the art of mathematical modeling, i.e. translating the physical systems/real-life situations into mathematics. This process involves isolating the essential variables and interactions, setting up equations that constitute a model, implementing the model using a computer program, analyzing and interpreting the results, and modifying the hypotheses and assumptions accordingly. This process is helpful in many areas of science and social science because it forces you to carefully understand your assumptions, allows you to test and more deeply understand basic conceptual theories and their implications for complex systems with multiple interactions, and can help identify targeted experiments to fill gaps in the current understanding of the system.