RME 3: System Dynamics

Part A
Consider the total population of the community is divided into two categories: those susceptible to the
disease, and those who are infectious. As people are infected they move from susceptible category to
infectious category. There is a number of simplifying assumptions. First, births, deaths, and migration
are ignored. Second, once people are infected, they remain infectious indefinitely, that is, the model
applies to chronic infections, not acute illness as influenza or plague. There are two loops. Infectious
disease spread as those who are infectious come into contact with and pass the disease to those who are
susceptible, increasing the infectious population still further while at the same time depleting the pool of
susceptible. The infection population is increased by infection rate while the susceptible population is
decreased by it. People in the community interact at a certain rate. The disease does not alter peoples
lifestyle. And there is no possibility of recovery, quarantine, or immunization.
Your tasks:

Construct a causal loop diagram for the situation.

Construct a corresponding stock and flow diagram.

Formulate relevant equations that you will need for simulating the behavior of the system.

Part B
It is assumed those contracting the disease become infectious for a certain period of time but then
recover and develop permanent immunity, the greater the number of infectious individuals, the greater
the recovery rate and the smaller the number of infectious people remaining.
Your tasks:

Extend the previous stock and flow diagram by adding another stock for recovered population.

Formulate relevant equations that you will need for simulating the behavior of new diagram.