The Walking Dead and Logistic Functions Task

Name:______________________________

Date:____________

The zombie apocalypse has happened and one of your classmates has been infected. The
following scenario asks you to consider what a graph that represents the number of infected
people might look like.

Your teacher will give you a number that will be used later, write down that number
here:_________.
Your teacher will select at random, the first person who is infected by picking a number
from a cup or hat. That person needs to go to the infected area.
The infected person will select one person from the cup and if they are not already
infected, they need to get up and go to the infected area.
You will continue this process until your teacher tells you to stop. One class member will
keep track of the number of infected people after each drawing session which we will call
a day.

1. Fill in the chart below based off of how many people were infected after each day.
Days
# Infected

10

2. Plot the points on the graph below with the Days as your x-axis and the # Infected as your
y-axis. Label your x-axis and y-axis!!

3.

Connected the
points
that you plotted
by using a smooth curve. What type of graph does your graph resemble?

4. Explain why the graph levels off on the top. Would this happen if we completed the
infection experiment again?

If done correctly, what you have just developed was a new type of function model, a
logistic function model. In general, a logistic function model demonstrates how the growth of a
variable can slow down and eventually stop once a limit has been hit.
5. Why does the growth of the infected population slow down before it stops completely?

6. What is the growth limitation factor in this scenario? In other words, what action causes
the growth to stop in this scenario?

7. Name two other scenarios in which a logistic model would be the best representation.
Then, tell what the growth limitation factor would be in that scenario and how quickly
you would expect the growth to slow down.