Abstract
We propose to describe the acquistion of information by the methods of chemical kinetics, with information and knowledge likened to concentrations of chemical species. The Verhulst-like model proposed is characterized by a limiting knowledge which is specific for a given student. The assumption that time and amount of knowledge are continuous variables is more questionable than in chemical kinetics. Consideration of discrete time intervals lead to a quadratic map, showing bifurcation and chaos. The case of two interacting students is also briefly considered. The examples presented show that manageable teaching should be performed at a sufficiently small rate.
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Monaco, G. (2010). From Chemical Kinetics to Models of Acquisition of Information: On the Importance of the Rate of Acquisition of Information. In: Faggini, M., Vinci, C.P. (eds) Decision Theory and Choices: a Complexity Approach. New Economic Windows. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-1778-8_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-1778-8_9
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