In an essay format, students will describe the quantitative mental model to be used in support of an operational, ethical, legal, or managerial issue. The model should be expressed mathematically, making sure to identify the dependent and independent variables in the model. The essay should be a minimum of 1 to 2 pages double spaced with 1-inch margins. Students should not be allowed to use the core elements of this example to support the completion of their work.

Example of a sample response:

Consider the problem of determining how to travel from your home to school or work. There are probably many different routes that could be taken that might influence the total distance (or total length of time) required for the trip. Most people would be interested in determining the route that requires the least distance (or least amount of time). In this sort of problem (also known as a shortest path problem) the different routes that can be chosen represent independent variables and the dependent variable would be the total distance (or total travel time).