(ii) For b = -1, b causes y to increase greatly when x gets smaller, as b is a negative number and so bx will give a large number when both b and x are negative. For b = 0, y remains constant throughout, no matter what the value of x is. This is because 0x will always give 0. For b = 1, the relationship is the same as in (1), as 1x will always lead to a very slow rate of increase for y when x < 0.
Mathematical Article
Title of Article: Birth rate falls in developing world
Source: The Straits Times
Date of Publish: 28 Jan 2005
Summary: This article is basically about birth rates, and how they have decreased in developing countries. It goes on to give possible reasons for and explain why this sudden decrease has occurred, e.g. increased use of contraception in both developed and developing countries as well as later marriages and thus later parenthood. The article also points out what possible consequences this trend might have, and what measures the Singapore government has taken to combat the problem. [Total: 75 words]
Mathematical Content
This article has provided readers with important numbers on the average fertility rate, the percentage of those single and the percentage of those who use contraception and practice family planning. These numbers clearly show that there is a strong correlation between lowered fertility rate, increased percentage of singles, increased number of late marriages and increased use of contraception. As the number of people practicing contraception and number of couples marrying later in life increase, the fertility rate naturally decreases.
Strengths and Weaknesses
I was quite impressed by the article and the graphs provided. The graphs are clear and well-labeled, two important characteristics of a good graph. The graphs also made good use of colour to compare the differences between 1970 and 2000. The graphs were also captioned with appropriate headings, and the key and scale used were accurate and adequate, which are another two features of a good graph. The information presented was also well-researched and it also came from a trustworthy source, the United Nations’ World Fertility Report of 2003. The only possible improvement that I could think of would be to enlarge the graphs as they are a bit on the small side. However, this may not be too feasible, as the graphs are still readable and the larger graphs may not fit or take up too much space.
What can we see from the graphs?
From the graphs, we can see that the general total fertility around the world has dropped substantially in both developed and developing countries during the time frame from 1970 to 2000. We can see from the second graph that the fertility rates have dropped more drastically in Asia and Latin America than in Africa and Europe. We can also see that Europe has quite a low fertility rate while Africa’s is very high. From the third and fourth graphs, we can see that Singapore’s fertility rate has dropped significantly since 1970. We can also see that the age-specific fertility rate for all age groups has dropped, most notably in the 20-24 and 25-29 year age groups.
Real-world application
Through this article, I have gained more insight into why the population explosion anticipated years ago has not happened, and instead declining birth rates have come up. This decline in fertility and birth rates has been a result of increase in use of contraception, later marriages and government policy. For example, we can see that the Singapore government’s two-child policy has resulted in an irreversible trend of lowering fertility rates. This indicates that the government was perhaps too successful in its goals, and maybe it should consider more closely the next time it decides to embark on a campaign.
Why I chose this article
I found this article very interesting, because it is relevant to Singapore today, as it experiences a low fertility rate. I was also attracted to it due to the wide range of graphs presented (4 in total, each of a different type).
Philip Goh (8)
3.9
1 Feb 2005