A Hot Bath
Background:
A person fills a bathtub with hot water from a single faucet and settles into the bathtub to cleanse and r…
Space Junk
Background:
The amount of small debris in orbit around earth has been a growing concern. It is estimated that more tha…
The Goodgrant Challenge
Background:
The Goodgrant Foundation is a charitable organization that wants to help improve educational performance o…
Measuring the Evolution and Influence in Society's Information Networks
Background:
Information is spread quickly in today’s tech-connected communications network; sometimes it is due to the…
Are we heading towards a thirsty planet?
Background:
Will the world run out of clean water? According to the United Nations, 1.6 billion people (one quarter of…
Modeling Refugee Immigration Policies
Background:
With hundreds of thousands of refugees moving across Europe and more arriving each day, considerable atten…
Preventing Road Rage
Background:
In some cases, the road simply loses a lane as it enters a less traveled section. In other cases, the road…
City Crime and Safety
Background:
What can we make of the massive amount of crime statistics collected in major cities? Beyond just reportin…
Eradicating Ebola
Background:
The world medical association has announced that their new medication could stop Ebola and cure patients w…
Searching for a Lost Plane
Background:
Recall the lost Malaysian flight MH370. Build a generic mathematical model that could assist "searchers" i…
Managing Human Capital in Organizations
Background:
Building an organization filled with good, talented, well-trained people is one of the keys to success. Bu…
Is It Sustainable?
Background:
One of the largest challenges of our time is how to manage increasing population and consumption with the…
Movie Scheduling
Background:
A great deal of preparation must take place before a movie can be filmed. Important sets and scenes need t…
Unloading Commuter Trains
Background:
Trains arrive often at a central Station, the nexus for many commuter trains from suburbs of larger cities…
The Next Plague?
Background:
In 2014, the world saw the infectious Ebola virus spreading in western Africa. Throughout human history, e…
The Keep-Right-Except-To-Pass Rule
Background:
In countries where driving automobiles on the right is the rule (that is, USA, China and most other countr…
College Coaching Legends Rule
Background:
Sports Illustrated, a magazine for sports enthusiasts, is looking for the "best all time college coach" ma…
Using Networks to Measure Influence and Impact
Background:
One of the techniques to determine influence of academic research is to build and measure properties of ci…
Emergency Medical Response
Background:
The Emergency Service Coordinator (ESC) for a county is interested in locating the county's three ambulanc…
Bank Service Problem
Background:
The bank manager is trying to improve customer satisfaction by offering better service. Management wants t…
The Ultimate Brownie Pan
Background:
When baking in a rectangular pan heat is concentrated in the 4 corners and the product gets overcooked at…
Water, Water, Everywhere
Background:
Fresh water is the limiting constraint for development in much of the world. Build a mathematical model fo…
Network Modeling of Earth's Health
Background:
Society is interested in developing and using models to forecast the biological and environmental health c…
American Elk
Background:
Prior to the arrival of European colonization on the North American continent, the ecological bio-diversit…
How Much Gas Should I Buy This Week?
Background:
Gas prices fluctuate significantly from week to week. Consumers would like to know whether to fill up the…
The Leaves of a Tree
Background:
"How much do the leaves on a tree weigh?" How might one estimate the actual weight of the leaves (or for t…
Camping along the Big Long River
Background:
Visitors to the Big Long River (225 miles) can enjoy scenic views and exciting white water rapids. The riv…
Modeling for Crime Busting
Background:
Your organization, the Intergalactic Crime Modelers (ICM), is investigating a conspiracy to commit a crimi…
Space Shuttle Problem: No More Space
Background:
On July 21, 2011, the 135th and final US Space Shuttle landed in Florida after its 13-day mission into orb…
Search and Find
Background:
Finding lost objects is not always an easy task, even when you have knowledge of a general location. Consi…
Snowboard Course
Background:
Determine the shape of a snowboard course (currently known as a "halfpipe") to maximize the production of…
Repeater Coordination
Background:
The VHF radio spectrum involves line-of-sight transmission and reception. This limitation can be overcome…
How environmentally and economically sound are electric vehicles? Is their widespread use feasible and practical?
Background:
Here are some issues to consider, but, of course, there are many more, and you will not be able to conside…
Bicycle Club
Background:
Several cities in the US are starting bike share programs. Riders can pick up and drop off a bicycle at an…
Curbing City Violence
Background:
A regional city has had lots of problems with gangs and violence over the years. The mayor, chief of polic…
The Sweet Spot
Background:
Explain the "sweet spot" on a baseball bat.
Every hitter knows that there is a spot on the fat part of a…