From: Jeff <jeffscofield@ucla.edu>
To: Teacher2Teacher Public Discussion
Date: 2004100814:42:48
Subject: Re: Project


For that I would start with a simple symbiosis model.  Look at the
classics: May's Stability and Complexity in Model Eco Systems or even
just look at some of the examples in Goldbergs Difference Equations
book.  For your questions, difference equations probably are overkill,
as the relation can be modeled with the equation for a line. Here, the
slope is the increase in democratic identification as education
increases.

If you want to do a really nice model you would do the more complex
relationship that political science shows: increasing education
increases chance of voting Dem. Increasing education increases income.
Increasing income DECREASES chance of voting Dem. (Which is why there
are a lot of highly educated Repubs, but that is the income/class
effect; the education effect works in reverse.)

This will require a two equation model using differential or
difference equations. The choice is probably not important.

Good Luck.

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