Before the Mardi Gras break, Mr. McClain’s Advanced Math Honors class tried to figure out how they could prevent the Zombie Apocalypse. The scenario began with Mr. McClain being infected by the zombie plague and each day creating another zombie, who created another zombie the next day., and so on Each day the number of zombies in the world would be double the previous day.
The students began by using their knowledge of exponential growth to determine how long it would take for the zombies to take over the world if left untreated (a surprisingly quick 33 days and the whole world is overrun!). They had to present this data in a number of ways, including a chart, a graph, and using logarithms to find the exact moment of the zombie takeover.
Next each group was given a cure developed by Mr. McClain. Each cure varied in cost and effectiveness. The students had to figure out, based on the parameters of the cure they were given, how long it would take to stop the zombie plague permanently. Once they figured out what day their cure was successful, the students needed to find out how much money it would cost to develop their cure.
After working on this project for a few days, each group needed to present their discovery to the class. They created a presentation that was creative, but also conveyed all the necessary information about the spread of the zombie plague with and without their cure.
Finally, after all the presentations had been showcased, the class voted on which cure they thought would be the best cure for us to develop. We just hope it isn’t too late…
