Mathematics Atlas

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Mathematical Biology

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Mathematical and theoretical biology, also called biomathematics, is a branch of biology that employs theoretical analysis, mathematical modeling and abstraction to investigate the principles governing the structure, development and behavior of biological systems.

Facts
Central Question
How the growth, structure and behavior of a living system can be captured well enough by a mathematical model to predict its future states, beginning with population growth models as simple as counting how a single breeding pair of rabbits multiplies. 1
Key Debate
How early a mathematical treatment of biology can genuinely be said to begin. Leonardo of Pisa used the Fibonacci sequence to describe a growing population of rabbits as far back as the thirteenth century, but the field's own founding text is usually dated to D'Arcy Thompson's 1917 On Growth and Form, with Ronald Fisher, Vito Volterra, Nicolas Rashevsky and Conrad Hal Waddington counted among its other early pioneers, a gap of centuries between the earliest recognized calculation and the field's first sustained research program. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Dynamical Systems, Branches of Mathematics

Includes

Leonardo of Pisa, Mathematicians
Sources
1. Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
Quote, Lead section
Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical modeling, and abstractions about living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, development, and behavior of biological systems.
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1. Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (Wikipedia)
WikipediaEarly History (Fibonacci)
Quote, Early History (Fibonacci)
Mathematics has been used in biology as early as the 13th century, when Fibonacci used the famous Fibonacci series to describe a growing population of rabbits.
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1. Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (Wikipedia)
WikipediaEarly History (founding text)
Quote, Early History (founding text)
One founding text is considered to be On Growth and Form (1917) by D'Arcy Thompson, and other early pioneers include Ronald Fisher, Hans Leo Przibram, Vito Volterra, Nicolas Rashevsky and Conrad Hal Waddington.
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