. "Chapter 6: Activities for Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science." Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 1998.
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Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science
Figure 1Sample population growth graph
there areas in the world where these limits have been reached already? Have we gone beyond the earth's ideal population yet? What problems will we face if we overpopulate the earth? How might human influence on, for example, habitats affect biological evolution. Students' answers to these questions will vary, depending on their background and information. The outcome, however, should be an intense discussion of some vital problems and should provide opportunities to introduce the fundamental concepts from the National Science Education Standards.
Evaluation
Human population on the earth is thought to have had a slow start, with doubling periods as long as 1 million years. The current world population is thought to be doubling every 37 years. How would this growth rate compare with the rates found in your investigation?
Both the population in the investigation and on the earth increase in a geometric progression. This means the graphs have the same shape. You can substitute 37 years for every 30-second interval and the numbers will represent actual world population growth. The slope of the graph would remain the same.
What happens to populations when they reach the limits to growth?
The populations stop growing because death rates (or emigration) exceed birth rates (or immigration).
