Case Studies

These documents present mathematical concepts in the context of personal and business finance, health, gambling, and sport.

Originally prepared as part of the JISC DEL II project, these case studies are made available as an additional METAL resource.

Download these .pdf files by clicking on the appropriate link.

1. Household finances
	(i) Affording the mortgage. (81 KB) (ii) Spending on plastic: The potential for financial distress. (78 KB) (iii) Saving for the future: Don't leave it too late. (101 KB)

2. Consumer spending
	(i) Do households smooth their consumption? (162 KB) (ii) Does income constrain household spending? (112 KB)

3. UK economy
	(i) UK house prices: Going through the roof? (99 KB) (ii) Deriving constant price estimates of GDP. (110 KB) (iii) Economic growth: what factors matter? (132 KB)

4. Social issues
	(i) Measuring health improvements for a cost effective analysis. (85 KB) (ii) Counting the cost of effective health policy. (86 KB) (iii) Estimating a demand curve for un-priced environmental goods. (91 KB) (iv) Measuring inequality: Using the Lorenz Curve and Gini Coefficient. (91 KB)

5. Gambling, competition and sport
	(i) Is the Scottish Premier League less competitive than its English counterpart? (90 KB) (ii) Measuring the competitiveness of sport: Are the top teams getting too strong? (78 KB) (iii) Probability in Action: Gambling, the US Presidency, and the market for car insurance. (77 KB)

The overarching project document (pdf, 101KB) is also available to download. This document: 

• Details the aims and objectives of the case studies project
• Details the mathematical concepts covered in each case study
• Links to other METAL resources