How significant are the effects that taking

insulin, medication and eating meals

throughout the day have on my father’s
blood-glucose levels?

IB SL MATH INTERNAL ASSESMENT

INSIYA FATHIMA MOOSAVI
MS. WANG
Insiya Fathima Moosavi

IA EXPLORATION: IB Math SL
QUESTION: How significant are the effects that taking insulin, medication and eating meals
throughout the day have on my father’s blood-glucose levels?
Introduction
I have chosen to base my exploration on the topic of diabetes and increased blood glucose
levels because of its prevalence in my family and my own vulnerability of acquiring this illness in
the near future. Around 80% of the adults in my family, taking into account both my maternal
and paternal relatives, have Type 2 Diabetes, subsequently increasing mine and my siblings’
chances of also getting diabetes. Hence, diabetes has become a significant part of our family’s
life and we have learned to better adapt our diets and our lifestyles to best suit the restrictions
posed by diabetes and decrease the chances of developing the illness in the future. Given its
constant looming presence in my life, I wanted to examine the topic of diabetes in further
depth, and through this IA exploration, hope to examine my father’s case specifically, therefore
gaining a better understanding in the fluctuation of his blood-glucose levels as affected by
insulin, medication, and food intake.
Aim
In order to form a coherent conclusion in regard to the effect of both the insulin medicine and
consuming food on blood-glucose levels, I will be first collecting data of blood-glucose levels
over the course of 17 hours (from 6am to 10pm) and specifically note the timings at which the
insulin is administered, medication is taken, food is eaten, and the times at which my father
wakes up and goes to sleep.
I will then create a model of the data that will be used for my calculations of the both the
average rate of change and the instantaneous rate of change in blood-glucose after significant
intakes and its maximum blood-glucose levels throughout the day.
Gathering Data
To collect the data to produce the graph, I instructed my father to take a blood-glucose reading
every hour from the time he woke up, 6:00am, to the time he went to sleep, 11:00pm. He was
further instructed to maintain his normal eating habits and to take note of the specific times at
which he ate, administered the insulin, and took any additional medication. Using a blood-
glucose monitor, the tests were performed by piercing the skin on the tip of the finger to draw
blood, then applying the blood to a chemically active disposable ‘test-strip’. This strip is then
inserted into a system which measures an electrical characteristic and used this to determine
the glucose level in the blood. The readings for this test, referred to as capillary blood glucose,
are listed in the table below.
Insiya Fathima Moosavi

Blood-Glucose Levels
7:0 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00
Time 0
Time (Hours 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
after waking
up)
Blood- 5.5 5.8 6.7 7.9 9.2 9.9 10.5 9.6 8.6
glucose level
(mmol/L)

Time 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Time 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Blood- 7 5.6 6.5 8.5 8 4.9 6.6 8.5
Glucose Level

Specific Timings

Wake-up 6:00am
Breakfast 7:00am
Insulin 7:00 am
Medicine 7:00 am
Snack 9:00am
Lunch 12:30pm
Medicine 5:30pm
Dinner 8:30pm
Go to sleep 11:00pm
Insiya Fathima Moosavi

Initial Graphing

Mehdi's Blood-Glucose Levels

12

10
Blood-Glucose Level

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Time

The next stage was to graph the results to produce a graph of the readings I had took. I used
Microsoft Excel to produce a scatter graph with the time plotted as ‘X’ and the blood-glucose
level plotted as ‘Y’.

From this graph it can be assumed that the equation for the function created by the recorded
data points cannot be expressed as any of our seven base functions and would therefore have
to split into five different sections in order to generate equations that can be used to model the
function.
Through the use of Microsoft Excel, I have generated an equation for all of these functions:

Section One 
Section One: 1-7 hours y=−0.0514 x 3+ 0.6131 x 2−1.1784 x +6.1143
12
This piece of the function
10 f(x) = − 0.05 x³ + 0.61 x² − 1.18 x + 6.11 has a polynomial equation,
with 3 being the highest
8
degree.
6

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Insiya Fathima Moosavi

Section Two Equation 

Section Two: 7-11 Hours y=0.0375 x 4 −1.3 x3 +16.563 x 2−92.95 x+ 20
12
This function is also
10 represented as a polynimal
f(x) = 0.04 x⁴ − 1.3 x³ + 16.56 x² − 92.95 x + 205.25
function with 4 being the
8
highest degree.
6

0
6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5

Section Three: 11-13 Hours Section Three Equation 

9 y=0.55 x 2−11.75 x +68.3
8 f(x) = 0.55 x² − 11.75 x + 68.3
This function is a quadratic
7 function.

0
10.5 11 11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5
Insiya Fathima Moosavi

Section Four Equation 

Section Four: 13-15 y=−1.3 x 2 +34.6 x−221.6
9
f(x) = − 1.3 x² + 34.6 x − 221.6 This is a quadratic function.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15 15.5

Section Five Equation 

Section Five: 15-17 y=0.1 x 2−1.4 x +3.4
9
8 f(x) = 0.1 x² − 1.4 x + 3.4 This is a quadratic function.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
14.5 15 15.5 16 16.5 17 17.5

Analysis of Results:
To begin my analysis, I first calculated the local maxima of my graphs, which would give me
some insights as to the conditions in which my father’s blood glucose was at an unhealthy level.
Let y represent blood glucose levels and let x represent hours after waking up.
I first start off with section one of this graph:

y=−0.0514 x 3+ 0.6131 x 2−1.1784 x +6.1143

dy
=−0.1542 x2 +1.2262 x−1.178
dx
Insiya Fathima Moosavi

dy
Set =0
dx

0=−0.1542 x2 +1.2262 x−1.178

∴ x=¿1.12 or x=6.83

I plugged these points back into my original equation to find the y-coordinate :
X= 1.12

y=−0.0514 ( 1.12 )3+ 0.6131 ( 1.12 )2−1.1784 (1.12)+6.1143

y=5.49

X=6.83

y=−0.0514 ( 6.83 )3 +0.6131 ( 6.83 )2−1.1784( 6.83)+6.1143

y=10.3

It can be observed that x=1.12 is the local maximum and x=6.83 is the local minimum for this
section by visually analyzing the graph and also conducting a first derivative sign test:

(−∞ , 1.12¿ (1.12,6.83) (6.83 , ∞ )

dy Negative Positive Negative
dx

Given that the graph of the derivative changes from negative to positive at x=1.12, this point
(1.12, 5.49) is a local minimum and given that the graph changes from positive to negative at
x=6.83, this point (6.83, 10.3) is a local maximum.
Next I worked with section two of the graph:
y = 0.0375x4 - 1.3x3 + 16.563x2 - 92.95x + 205.25
dy
=0.15 x3 −3.9 x 2 +33.126 x−92.95
dx
dy
set ¿0
dx

0=0.15 x3 −3.9 x 2 +33.126 x−92.95

∴ x=11.4

To find the y-coordinate:

y = 0.0375(11.4)4 - 1.3(11.4)3 + 16.563(11.4)2 - 92.95(11.4) + 205.25
y=5.50
Insiya Fathima Moosavi

I again conducted a first derivative sign test to confirm that this is a local minimum:
(−∞ , 11.4) (11.4 , ∞)
dy Negative Positive
dx

Therefore, (11.4, 5.50) is a local minimum.

I will repeat the same procedure for the next three sections as well:
Section 3:
y = 0.55x2 - 11.75x + 68.3
dy
=1.1 x−11.75
dx
dy
set =0
dx
0=1.1 x−11.75
x=10.7
Find y-coordinate:
y = 0.55(10.7)2 - 11.75(10.7) + 68.3

y=5.54
Section 4:

y = -1.3x2 + 34.6x - 221.6

dy
=−2.6 x+ 34.6
dx
dy
set =0
dx
0=−2.6 x+ 34.6
x=13.3
Find y-coordinate :
y = -1.3(13.3)2 + 34.6(13.3) - 221.6

y=8.62
Insiya Fathima Moosavi

Section 5 :

y = 0.1x2 - 1.4x + 3.4

dy
=0.2 x −1.4
dx
dy
set =0
dx
0=0.2 x −1.4
x=7
Second Derivatives :

Section 1 dy
=−0.3084 x +1.2262
dx
Section 2 dy
=0.45 x2 −7.8 x +33.126
dx
Section 3 dy
=1.1
dx
Section 4 dy
=−2.6
dx
Section 5 dy
=0.2
dx

Conclusion:
Bibliography