ASSIGNMENT 1

There are two parts to this assignment. The first part is on WeBWorK — the link is available on the course
webpage. The second part consists of the questions on this page. You are expected to provide full solutions
with complete justifications. You will be graded on the correctness and coherence of your solutions, as well
as on their elegance. Your solutions must be typed, with your name and student number at the top of the
first page. If your solutions are on multiple pages, the pages must be stapled together.
Your written assignment must be handed at the front of the lecture hall before the start of class on
Monday, September 18. The online assignment will close at 9:00 on Monday, September 18.

1. The Beverton-Holt model describes the growth in a given population from one generation to the next. It
is given by
νKx
f (x) = ,
K + (ν − 1)x
where x is the population in a given generation, f (x) is the population in the next, and ν > 1 and K > 0
are constants. Because x represents a population, the domain is restricted to x ≥ 0.
(a) Find the horizontal asymptote of f (x).
(b) Describe in a few sentences the physical interpretation of the horizontal asymptote found in part (a)
— what is the significance of the asymptote with respect to the population?
(c) Solve the equation f (x) = x.
(d) In physical terms, what do the solutions in part (c) represent? (Hint: K is sometimes defined to be
the carrying capacity of the population.)

2. Let
a1 < a2 < · · · < ak−1 < ak < ak+1 < · · · < an
be numbers where k is odd and n is even. Describe the vertical asymptote x = ak of the function
1
f (x) = .
(x − a1 )(x − a2 ) · · · (x − ak−1 )(x − ak )(x − ak+1 ) · · · (x − an )

In other words, determine lim− f (x) and lim+ f (x).

x→ak x→ak