Denison Scientific Association: Mathematical modeling in the social sciences

Simple mathematical models are used to understand complex phenomena in the physical, biological, and social sciences. This modeling philosophy never claims, nor even attempts, to fully capture the mechanisms underlying the phenomena, and instead offers insights and predictions not otherwise possible. Here, we explore minimal dynamical systems models to understand several complex social phenomena, including the public health tradeoffs of electronic cigarettes, the progression of women through professional hierarchies, and the emergence of the bystander effect. Because of their simplicity, these models offer new connections between existing fields, give optimal solutions with limited data, and provide qualitative predictions of future events.