Gazelle and Lion Velocities
August 9, 2011
This graph is from in a Scientific American article, which says “The graph is courtesy of J.A. Bolker and D.C. Meredith, University of New Hampshire, and is based on data from Elliott, P.; Cowan, I. M.; and Holling, C. S., 1977. Prey capture by the African lion. Canadian Journal of Zoology 55(11):1811-1828.” Two ways of using it in a calculus class:
- Post three questions about this graph to our class forum and answer a question posed by a classmate which either has not yet been answered or can be answered differently or more completely. Before posting your questions, read questions that others have posted and try to come up with substantively different ones.
- Write a one- to two-paragraph story based on this graph. The story must include some numbers and units.
Either assignment should lead into discussions of both slope and area.