Maths in biology and medicine · Accessible · Dissertation

Why giants cannot exist: a maths EPQ idea

Why it works as an EPQ

The square–cube law and power laws such as Kleiber's law can be tested on published data.

Scope and difficulty

Accessible. Accessible. One law argued, one tested.

The maths

Builds on these A Level topics: Exponentials and logarithms · Sampling and data.

You would learn:

• Square–cube law
• Power laws and log–log graphs
• Kleiber's law

Learning maths beyond the course is expected in a maths EPQ, but you must understand and explain everything you use.

One possible plan

1. Explain why strength grows like area and weight like volume.
2. Use this to argue about the limits of size.
3. Test a metabolic scaling law on published data.
4. Judge how far simple scaling explains biology.

Pitfalls

• Fitting a straight line to raw, not logged, data.
• Data from unreliable sources.

Where to start reading

• On Being the Right Size (J. B. S. Haldane, essay)
• Search for: Kleiber's law three quarter power

Prefer books, lecture notes, journal articles and official data to a single website, and record every source as you read (how to reference).

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All maths in biology and medicine ideas · all 93 ideas

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