Contaminant Fate Modeling

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Summary

This video combines the concepts of modeling, conservation of mass, and differential equations to estimate the concentration of estrogen in Massachusetts Bay. Students consider what the dominant inputs and outputs may be and see how simplifying assumptions make the differential equation easier to solve.

Learning Objectives

After watching this video students will be able to:

  • Construct a differential equation to estimate the concentration of a chemical in the environment.
  • Appreciate how informed estimates can help simplify and solve these differential equations.

Funding provided by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)

Developed by the Teaching and Learning Laboratory (TLL) at MIT for SUTD

MIT © 2012

Related Resources

Instructor Guide

Contaminant Fate Modeling Instructor Guide (PDF)

It is highly recommended that the video is paused when prompted so that students are able to attempt the activities on their own and then check their solutions against the video.

During the video, students will brainstorm chemical and physical processes that might remove estrogens from Massachusetts Bay.

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  • English-US (SRT)