Numerical Methods for Differential Equations

and Applications
Camile Fraga Delfino Kunz
6th December 2018

The random motion of microorganisms

According to (Edelstein-Keshet, 2005), unicellular organisms have elabo-
rate patterns of locomotion that may include: ciliary beating, helical swiming,
crawling on surfaces, tumbling, and pseudopodial extensions. With no external
stimulus, such motion may appear random, although it is determined by sub-
cellular level events. This pseudorando motion is similar to mollecular diffusion.
A one-dimensional model for the spatial distribution of a large population of
such microorganisms is given by:

∂b ∂2b
= D 2 + rb (1)
∂t ∂x
where:
• b(x, t): population density at location x and time t;
• D: diffusion coefficient of microorganisms;
• r: growth rate (if positive) or death rate (if negative).

The equation (1) is known as reaction-diffusion equation if r 6= 0 and as

diffusion equaiton for r = 0.
Segel et al. (1977) applied equation (1), where r = 0, to the dispersal of
bacteria. And based on experimental data they calculated D = 0.2 cm2 /h for
Pseumonas fluerescens.

1
Exercise
Consider the problem:

∂2b

∂b

 = D 2 , x ∈ (0, L)
∂t ∂x




b(0, t) = α , b(L, t) = β , t ∈ (0, T ]

 (
1 , x = L/2



 b(x, 0) =

0, otherwise


a) Find a numerical approximation for the problem with Forward Euler for
the time integration and Finite Differences for the space. Remember that the
Forward Euler is a conditionally stable method and for the diffusion equation
Dk 1
the stability condition is 2 ≤ . Test your program for the following set of
h 2
parameters:
i) D=0.2; L=10; T=1; m=51; N=400;
ii) D=2; L=10; T=1; m=51; N=100.

where m is the number of subintervals on space discretization and N number

of time steps.

b) Now implement a Backward Method for the time integration and test
your program with the same parameters as a).

References
1. Edelstein-Keshet, L. Mathematical models in biology. SIAM, 2005.
2. Leveque, R. J. Finite difference methods for ordinary and partial differen-
tial equations. SIAM, 2007.