5120, Homework 6.1
1. a) Find the wave speed (minimal wave
pspeed) for the spread of rabies
model from class. Check that your answer is (R0 − 1)/R0 .
b) You found the wave speed in dimensionless units. Now convert it back to the
original dimensional x and t coordinates (x is in kilometeres, and t is in years).
How long will it take for the epidemics to reach a location 80 km away, if γ = 1
1/year, β = 0.8 km2 /year, N = 2 1/km2 , D = 1060 km2 /year
c) How can we control the epidemic? (i.e. which parameter can we modify to
prevent the epidemic from happening?) What could be the (realistic) ways to
change that parameter (name two)? Which way is prefered, in your opinion?
why?
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