AP Calculus

Name______________________________

Loves Me, Loves Me Not from The Joy of by Steven Strogatz

Although the ways of the heart may be somewhat _____________________, the laws of the inanimate are well known and can be modeled using differential equations. Differential equations describe how interlinked ________________ change from moment to moment depending on their current values. To see what these equations tell us about love, we can analyze a simplified version of two lovers, Romeo and Juliet. In this approach we will assume Juliet a fickle lover: the more Romeo loves her, the more she backs away. Romeo, however, _________________ Juliet: he warms up when she loves him and cools down when she hates him. Thus, we can set up two differential equations:

Here, represents Romeos love, represents Juliets love, is time, and and are both positive constants. Physics students will recognize that Romeo and Juliet behave as _____________________ __________________ __________________________. So, their relationship will behave like sine waves, and our two lovers will manage to attain concurrent love a __________________ of the time. Even though this is a fanciful example, the kinds of equations that arise from the situation are profound. They represent the most powerful ________________ mankind has ever created to describe the physical world. Three hundred and fifty years after Newton, we have come to discover that all of the ________________, everything around us, can be modeled using differential equations. The problem boils down to finding the right equations and solving them, as long as we know an _________________ condition. In the words of Newton himself, It is ______________ to solve differential equations.

Q: Find two functions whose derivatives model Romeo and Juliets love. A:

Q: Romeo is driving Juliet cray crayJuliet is madder than ever before. Where are they on the graph on p. 156? Now, put this in calculus terms, please. A: