Research Project in Applied Math and Modeling

Xiaowei Shi
December 2024

1 Introduction
From now on you’ll be presented with two large ”projects” every time, and you
get to choose one or the other (or both, if you want extra credit). One of the
projects will be a project in applied math or modeling, resembling the
style of a mathematical modeling problem and can be solved using what you’ve
learned in class. The other project will be a theoretical (pure math)
project, which will gradually lead you to discover deeper and highly generalized
results in a certain branch of mathematics.
In this project, there are two large ”problems”, both of which are to be
completed. In the first problem, you will be given five miniature modeling
tasks in mathematics and mathematical physics; these tasks will only involve
mathematics that is around or below the level taught in class, and all five tasks
should be completed entirely. On the other hand, the second problem
gives you three open-ended tasks; you should choose the tasks that you like
best, and write a full research-style paper on that particular task. Since we’ve
not yet introduced formal paper-writing conventions, the following are basic
requirements that should to be satisfied:
1. The report should be at least 5 pages long, excluding cover pages.
2. The report should state all assumptions/approximations used, making
sure to explain why they’re reasonable
3. Rigorous mathematical justification should always be provided, but ex-
tremely long and routine proofs should be placed in the appendix.
• For instance, if you need to calculate the derivative of an extremely
nasty function, just write out the final result and show how the
derivative is calculated in the appendix.
• On the other hand, if you’re computing a complicated integral, that’s
something extremely technical by itself, so include your working in
the main body of the paper.
4. You should provide non-mathematical explanations of each mathematical
model beyond the standard secondary curriculum. If you’re unsure, just
explain it; it shouldn’t take too much time.

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 5. Aim for mathematical simplicity. If you can model your problem
using an ordinary differential equation, there’s no need to choose a par-
tial differential equation (unless it brings significant improvement). Of
course, feel free to have fun with more advanced math, but make sure you
thoroughly understand every word and equation you write.

6. Any writing tool is fine (including handwritten reports), but, of

course, LaTeX is preferred.

Have fun, and remember, this is your first open-ended project, so

don’t be afraid to discuss with us!

2 Short Tasks
These are short, but not all of them are easy. Attempt each problem to the best
of your abilities, and seek help if needed. In addition, while some questions have
”correct” answers, others have a variety of possible answers, so be creative!
1. You’re given a sealed container of ideal gas that cools over time; what is
the pressure inside the container at a certain time t? You may assume
an ideal gas is any gas satisfying the ideal gas law, i.e., P V = nRT .
As a bonus, given a bottle of air with a gas valve and a thermometer,
how could you determine the volume of the container’s interior? You may
assume that flow rate is proportional to pressure difference, and no heat
is exchanged at the nozzle or opening of the valve.

2. Assume that the work done by aerodynamic drag on a category of self-

similar objects is proportional to the distance travelled by that object
times the square of the maximum diameter of that object. You are given
the following data:
• The initial velocity of a 38 mm diameter ping-pong ball is 26.35 ms−1
• The average velocity of the ping-pong ball is 17.8 ms−1
Determine the optimal diameter of a ping-pong ball. In 2000, the IPPF
decided to switch to a ping-pong ball of diameter 40 millimeters (their
previous ping-pong ball was 38 millimeters). Was their decision justified?
3. Let’s say you’re playing around with a roll of toilet paper. You have a
ruler and a large roll of toilet paper. Each sheet of toilet paper is very
thin (much less than one millimeter) and highly compressible. Using these
tools and without wasting too much paper, try to determine the following:
(a) The number of sheets of toilet paper
(b) The number of layers in the toilet paper roll
(c) The thickness of each sheet of toilet paper

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 4. You need to design a frictionless ”self-balancing stand” in 2D space: one
end of the stand is attached to a smooth vertical wall, and if you place any
rod of length l touching the stand from above and with one end against the
wall, it should stay still, regardless of how you position it. Describe the
shape of this stand using an equation that does not contain derivatives.

5. You and a robber are walking on a circular track of unit circumference.

In addition, there’s a treasure tree on the track. There are some rules:
(a) Normally, you and the robber move along the track separately; how-
ever, when one of you encounters the tree, they will stop at the tree
to search for treasure. If both of you meet at the tree, then the robber
will always follow you, causing you to be robbed.
(b) Your position on the track is represented by X(t), while the robber’s
position is represented by Y (t).
(c) When neither of you are at the tree, both of you move clockwise at
the same constant speed.
(d) If one of you (let’s say the robber) reaches the tree at time t0 , it
waits for at most τ = K(X(t0 )) time; i.e., the robber’s maximum
wait time depends on your position (and vice-versa).
Now, let’s say f : R → R is a continuous differentiable function with

f ′ > 0, f ′′ < 0, f (0) = 0, f (1) = 1

We define the wait time function

K(ϕ) = f −1 (f (ϕ) + ϵ) − ϕ

where ϵ > 0 is sufficiently small and ϕ ∈ [0, 1]. Show that, except for one
strategic starting position, you’ll always get robbed.

3 Long Tasks
1. n soccer teams play matches with every other team. Exactly one match
occurs in one day, and only two teams compete in one match. Find an
optimal schedule (Note: it is up to you to decide and justify what is meant
by ”optimal schedule”). Is this schedule biased? You should also make
the following considerations when creating your model:
• How does playing at different times of day affect performance?
• Does playing later create additional practice opportunities?
• Is there sufficient time for rest between matches?
• Does the order of the matches create psychological pressure?
• How much can the duration of one match vary?

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 • Anything else you can think of.
You should aim to create both a basic model and a sophisticated model.
2. You and your teammates Andy, Brian, Cindy, and David live on a Mar-
tian research base. One day, your team receive a shipment of various
necessities and goods; you call headquarters to ask about how these items
should be distributed, but there happens to be a dust storm compromis-
ing your communication devices! Thus, your team decides to split these
items amongst themselves. To do this, you ask each of your teammates
(including yourself) to give an estimated personal value for each item.

(a) Create a table of 15-20 items, and generate a data set of sensible
values (you don’t need to explain each of the values you give).
(b) Distribute each item to whomever likes them most. Would the dis-
tribution be fair?
(c) If all team members have equal rights, create a quantitative criteria
for the fair distribution of goods.
The following considerations should be made:
• How subjective is personal evaluation?
• What is the optimal balance of objective and subjective needs?
• How would the distribution vary for different value systems; i.e., what
would change if they valued collective goals over personal desires?
• How can you construct an abstract and generalized model which can
be implemented independent of the data set you developed?
3. With increased income and population density, traffic jams are becoming
widespread in many parts of the world. Excessive traffic jams make trav-
eling by car both tedious and unsafe, often being the cause of road rage
and car crashes. Analyze the traffic flow for different crossroad systems in
your neighborhood. The following considerations should be made:
• Consider the butterfly effect. How much does a car have to slow
down to affect a chain of cars behind it?
• How do you model the subjective preferences of drivers? Does every-
one follow the rules and regulations?
• How does traffic differ at different times of day? Does your model
stand the test of extreme circumstances, e.g., on public holidays?
• Can you improve upon these crossroad designs? What are some
criteria that determine a ”good” crossroad design?