Additional Exploration

Additional Explorations

Below are suggestions for additional activities related to population growth, mathematical modeling, environmental issues, and historical census information. The links in the Reference Material section may help with these activities.

Look at your town's, county's or state's historical population data and find a mathematical model for its growth or decline. Predict the population 10 years from now. List any factors that may influence or support your prediction.
Look at another country's historical population data and find a mathematical model for its growth or decline. Predict the population 10 years from now. List any factors that may influence or support your prediction.
Look at population density (number of people per square mile) in the U.S. from 1790 to present day. Find a mathematical model that describes this data. Predict the U.S. population density 10 years from now. Does it seem realistic? Explain.
At the time of this writing, U.S. 2000 census data was just becoming available. Find the national (or state) population counts for 2000 and compare these counts to your predicted population numbers. Or incorporate the new data into the spreadsheet or data files you previously developed to find a new mathematical model for population growth.
Some original census documents are available in digital format through the National Archives and Records Administration. Census records from 1880 and 1900 show records of Laura Ingalls Wilder of the Little House on the Prairie series. Review and analyze these census records on the Little House in the Census web site according to the instructions on the web site.
Another historical document related to the census is Thomas Jefferson's Census Calculations for 1791-1801. Examine this document closely and see if you can explain what this document shows and the mathematics behind the calculations.
Search the American Memory Project for other historical census documents (try typing "census" in the search field). Report on one item of interest that you found related to the census or population.
Explain what ZPG is and how it might be achieved both in the U.S. and the world.
Look at the U.S. Census Bureau's World Population Clock. Record the day, time and population. Take a number of data points and fit the data to an exponential model. Using this model, predict the population in one week and check back on the site to compare results.
Research other demographic indicators such as level of affluence, level of education, infant mortality, children in labor force, education and employment of women, costs of raising children, teenage pregnancy, religious beliefs or anything of interest to you and note any trends you observe, either in the U.S. or worldwide.
In 1798 Thomas R. Malthus wrote Essay on the Principle of Population. What was this essay about and why is it considered important?
Look at some of the forms and tabulations from historical U.S. censuses to see how they have changed over the years. What types of information is no longer collected? What types of information has been collected in recent years? What information do you think it would be useful to collect in the next census? Why?
Use the Down the Drain Project to compare the amount of water you use on a daily basis to the water use in other areas of the country or the world. Investigate ways that water could be conserved.
Research what is meant by a sustainable environment. What steps have the U.S. and other countries taken towards creating a sustainable environment?
Research what is meant by the Tragedy of the Commons. Who coined this phrase and what significance does it have today?
Research foreign policies related to population control and discuss the pro's and con's of the policies.