Question

he following “issue/problem” is vaguely stated:

 The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is interested in determining if a new drug, Modex, is effective in the control of diabetes in the U.S.

(a) As stated above, we cannot utilize mathematical modeling. Name 2 words in the stated problem that cause this vagueness.

(b)From a modeling standpoint, pose 3 strategic questions that you would ask (for clarification) in order to determine how to help the government to decide how to proceed in their quest.

(c) Assume that you have “satisfactory” answers to your questions in (b). State those “satisfactory” answers.

(d)On the basis of those answers, reframe the “issue/problem” in a manner suitable to model the problem mathematically. In essence, “identify the quantity of interest unambiguously”. [Be sure to avoid exclusive dependence on the Scientific Method.]

(e) What would you name as potential benefits, if any, of using Mathematical Modeling here as opposed to the Scientific Method? Explain briefly.

[Note. This question is seeking to gauge your understanding/perception of “how to get started” in the process of mathematical modeling. It does not call for massive literature search even though a cursory knowledge of the central issue (diabetes) may be helpful.]

Answer 1