The infectivity of a certain pathogen is quantified by measuring the area between two curves. The greater the area between the

Question

The infectivity of a certain pathogen is quantified by measuring the area between two curves. The greater the area between the curves, the greater the infectivity of the disease and this quantification provides a means to compare infectivity among various different pathogens. As an example, consider the function f(t) = -0.5t(t + 1)(t - 21) which represents number of infected cells carrying a particular pathogen in the blood of a patient as a function of time t, where t is measured in days. Suppose a patient is considered contagious during the period from time t = 3 days to t = 18 days. Compute the infectivity of this particular disease during the contagious period by finding the area between the function f(t) and the line segment connecting the points (3,f(3)) and (18,f(18)). Include a graph of the area computed.

Kunduz · Accepted Answer

Click to see the answer