Students lost track of time on Tuesday! Ants are not controversial...

This last class, we focused on solving exponential and logarithmic equations and discussing the properties of log functions to facilitate solving such equations. We concluded by delving into exponential growth models and illustrating population growth/decay through examples. During a group conversation, one student mentioned reading about the maximum population Earth can sustain. Another student countered, stating there wasn't enough supply. This sparked a thought in me; I vocalized that numerous areas worldwide remain unpopulated while cities suffer from overpopulation, leading me to question the prevailing alarm regarding population growth. Further discussion ensued when another student argued that there isn't enough food to support the population, prompting another to interject that there's actually a considerable amount of food wastage and potential to produce more with current technology. This led to a discussion on GMOs. What began as a precalculus class morphed into a thought-provoking conversation, which I found quite amusing. I then prompted them to consider an ant population problem to steer clear of controversy. This elicited laughter from the students. Working in groups, they successfully formulated equations to determine the time required for the initial ant population to triple. I typically assign students numbers and reorganize the class accordingly into groups. Observing their engrossment in discussing ideas was remarkable, especially considering that students often anticipate leaving promptly. They even stayed an extra 11 minutes! Their enthusiasm truly made my day!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/09/19/ants-population-20-quadrillion/