THE CALCULUS OF LOVE: A ROMEO-JULIET SAGA

The Calculus Of Love: A Romeo-Juliet Saga

The Calculus Of Love: A Romeo-Juliet Saga

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The Calculus of Love A Romeo-Juliet Saga

Have you ever wondered if the swirling emotions of a love affair could be understood, or even predicted, with something as precise as mathematics? It may sound like a strange idea, but what if I tell you that the passionate tango between Romeo and Juliet can be described by lines and curves, using the very same math we learn in calculus class?

Imagine our star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. Their feelings for each other are constantly changing. Sometimes Romeo loves Juliet intensely, sometimes his feelings might cool. The same goes for Juliet. How can we possibly put numbers to something so famously unpredictable? This is where the brilliant ideas of mathematician, Steven Strogatz come in. In his fascinating paper, “Love Affairs and Differential Equations,” he shows us how a powerful tool called differential equations can help us model this ever-changing relationship.

What follows is a highly simplified version of Strogatz’s paper. It may be suitable as an introduction to differential equations for senior school (Grades 11/12) students.

The Tragic Love Story: A Simple Mathematical Model



  • Let’s say Romeo’s love for Juliet is represented by a number, call it ‘R’. If R is positive, he loves her. If R is negative, he dislikes her (gasp!).

  • Similarly, let’s use ‘J’ for Juliet’s love for Romeo.


How does Romeo’s love change over time? And how does Juliet’s love change over time? This “change” is what calculus is all about!

Strogatz cleverly suggests that the way Romeo’s love changes don’t just depend on his own feelings, but also on Juliet’s current feelings. And vice versa for Juliet.

The “Follower” Affair

Imagine Romeo is a bit of a follower. His love for Juliet grows or shrinks depending on how much she loves him. If she’s head-over-heels, he catches feelings. If she’s indifferent or dislikes him, his love fades.

At the same time, perhaps Juliet is also a follower. Her love for Romeo changes based on his current feelings. This sounds like a recipe for a rather unstable relationship, doesn’t it? If they both only react to each other, their love might swing wildly.

 

know more at: https://www.curioused.ai/learning/the-calculus-of-love-a-romeo-juliet-saga/

 

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