Modelling Problem Sets
A set of worked problems applying the transport, kinetics and phase- transition models from Stages 2 and 3 to new numbers.
Due: 7 May 2027 · Weight: 20%
The brief#
Four short problems, one drawn from each of Modules 5, 7, 8 and 9, applying the percolation, transport, kinetics and glass-transition models to new numbers you have not seen in the module pages.
This is a problem-solving exercise, not a report: each problem gives you a scenario and a target quantity, and asks you to set up and solve the relevant equation, showing your working. The problems intentionally reuse the models rather than the food systems from their source modules, to check that you can apply a model to an unfamiliar case rather than recall a worked example.
What you submit#
A single PDF, one section per problem, with the governing equation stated, the working shown, and the final answer given with correct units. Problem sheets are released on the course site two weeks before the due date.
The marking weights working and reasoning almost as heavily as the final numeric answer — a correct answer reached by the wrong method, or with no visible reasoning, does not score as well as an honest, well-reasoned attempt that arrives at a slightly wrong number.
The spec
The brief poses the problem and leaves room for a response. The spec is the fixed part: what a marker checks. Some lines can be checked mechanically; the rest call for judgement.
- submitted by the deadline as a single PDF with working shown for every problem
- every numeric answer states its units
- at least one problem's answer includes a stated assumption or limitation
How it is marked
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Correct application of the relevant model | 50% |
| Working shown and reasoning explained | 30% |
| Discussion of sensitivity, limits, or edge cases | 20% |