ABSTRACT: “WHEN ZOMBIES ATTACK: MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF AN OUTBREAK OF ZOMBIE INFECTION”

ABSTRACT: “WHEN ZOMBIES ATTACK: MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF AN OUTBREAK OF ZOMBIE INFECTION”

The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the flexibility of mathematical models and to prove that modelling can respond to a variety of biological challenges, including outbreaks of zombie infection. To prove this, five mathematical models were taken into consideration. The timescale in each of these models was short, so that the birth and death rates of humans could not influence the outcome of the equations. In addition to that, only humans were considered susceptible to zombie infection in all five models. The first three models conclude with the fact that a coexistence between humans and zombies is impossible, as this will eventually lead to the eradication of humans. According to the fourth model, in which the existence of a cure for zombiism is taken into consideration, humans would be able to survive in low numbers. Only the fifth model, which includes the factor of an impulsive eradication of zombies, would allow humans to survive the outbreak relatively undamaged. Though the scenario of a zombie outbreak is unrealistic, these findings can in real life be applied to examine the allegiance to political parties or diseases with dormant infection.