This free course, Modelling pollution in the Great Lakes, introduces the idea of modelling with mathematics. The course centres on a mathematical model of how pollution levels in the Great Lakes of North America vary over a period of time. It demonstrates that, by keeping the model as simple as possible, extremely complex systems can be understood and predicted.

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• create simple models, given a clear statement of the problem
• identify the simplifying assumptions that underpin a model
• identify the key variables and the parameters of a model
• apply the input–output principle to obtain a mathematical model, where appropriate.