As the basis of our “Save the human” math project, where we were asked to explore topics of our own choosing in relevance to sustainability and analyse them mathematically, we decided to investigate COVID-19. The aim for our project was to find the most sustainable and effective solution to COVID-19, however, in addition to that, we also researched unrealistic solutions to COVID-19 and misinformation in relation to COVID-19. We used a range of graphs, case studies and statements presented on a beautiful.ai slideshow, and came to the conclusion that by putting multiple solutions together (masks mandates, lockdown, travel restrictions…), we would get the most effective solution to COVID-19. We represented our ideology through The Swiss Cheese Model, where the different solutions are shown as slices of cheese, that although have flaws, when combined, the flaws of certain strategies are covered by the strengths of others. This minimises the impact of COVID-19.
I believe that the important take-away from this project, is that mathematics is vital in solving real world issues, but can also be easily extrapolated/taken out of context. This means that the statistics and data, although they tell the facts, don’t necessarily tell the truth. Through this project I have developed my skills in finding reliable data, evaluating said data, and also communication. I have also grown to understand that the concept of 100% sustainability is unreasonable in many aspects of the world, and is simply idealistic.
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