Transition Matrices - Worded Problem

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves modeling population changes in a small town over a period of ten years using a transition matrix. The population is categorized into adults, teenagers, and children, with specific birth and death rates provided for each group.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to construct a transition matrix based on given population statistics but expresses confusion regarding specific values in the matrix. Participants discuss the validity of the matrix entries and question the assumptions behind the population transitions.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the original poster's matrix, offering corrections and suggestions. There is a recognition of potential errors in the matrix values, particularly regarding the sum of columns and specific transition probabilities. The discussion is ongoing, with no clear consensus reached yet.

Contextual Notes

There is a mention of the transition matrix being 4x4 despite only three population categories, raising questions about the treatment of the deceased population. Participants are also considering the implications of the transition rates and their sums.

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A very small country town has a population that can be grouped according to three categories: adults teenagers and children.

Each year statistics show that:

Children are born at the rate of 4% of the adult population 12% of children become teenagers 15% of teenagers become adults 0.5% of children die 3% of teenagers die 8% of adults die

Presuming that the town started with 350 children, 640 teenagers and 2100 adults, find how many there will be of each category after 10 years.

I'm having trouble finding the transition matrix.

So far I've got.
c t a d
c [0.875 0 0.04 0]
t [ 0.12 0.082 0 0]
a [ 0 0.15 0,88 0]
d [ 0.005 0.03 0.08 0]

The textbook somehow gets 0.04 in the 4th row of the 3rd column instead of 0.08 and has a 1 in the 4th row of the 4th column instead of 0.

Not sure how or why.

If I could get the Transition matrix correct I understand that it would simply be

T^10 x initial state but I'm just having trouble setting it out.

Thanks
 

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Hello math, welcome to PF :smile: !

$$\begin{bmatrix} c', t', a', d'
\end{bmatrix} =

\begin{bmatrix}0.875 & 0.000 & 0.040 & 0 \\
0.120 & 0.082 & 0.000 & 0 \\
0.000 & 0.150 & 0.880 & 0 \\
0.005 & 0.030 & 0.080 & 0 \\
\end{bmatrix}
\begin{bmatrix} c \\ t \\ a \\ d \\ \end{bmatrix}
$$is the general idea, I hope, where the accents denote a shift by 1 year.

All columns add up to 1, except 2 and 4 in your rendering of the matrix. Whereas the book probably only has column 3 not adding up to 1,
so it looks like an error in the book to me. The 0.04 I can't explain either.
Like your 0.082 seems an error by you...

Funny it's a 4x4 matrix when you only have three categories and the last column is all zeroes.

The book doesn't have that, which indicates to me that once you're dead, you remain dead.
But again, that category isn't counted, so I wouldn't worry.

If still in doubt, let your matrix^10 loose and see if the results are credible !

Isn't it nice to see such a cute society develop: no teenage pregnancies !
 
I agree with your .08. For the [d,d] position, dead people stay dead.
How do you get the 0.88? The 0.082 should be 0.82.
 
Very good Haru ! Makes me recall the stuff about columns adding up to 1: a category like a can have > 1 because it really the 4% that become parent remain a
 

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