Romeo and Juliet by the Numbers — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Romeo and Juliet by the Numbers

Name: Theodore Reimer
Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Appleton, WI
Faculty Sponsor: Haley Yaple
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

Romeo and Juliet by the Numbers

In order to quantify a person’s opinion of another, we would need to know which factors influence their opinion. Specifically, we might want to know how a person’s affections may change based on grudges: how strongly they value their own opinion of another person; and vanity: how they value the other person’s opinion of them. Let’s name these two people after Shakespeare’s “star-crossed lovers”, Romeo and Juliet. Using a system of linear differential equations and two parameters, we model Romeo and Juliet’s affection for each other and graph how their feelings for each other change over time. Interestingly, though perhaps unsurprisingly, in almost all cases the magnitude of both people’s affections shoot off to infinity, which is bound to end in a dramatic explosion with tragic consequences. These models might also be helpful in understanding how different groups interact with each other and expand under social pressures.

Poster file