So, can we apply this equation to humans?

What do we know? Well we know that since the population is exponentially growing, that λ must be greater than 1, for humans.

Note tho, a mathematical oddity: S ≠ λ in this equation because then we will be dividing by zero. So the Human survival probability can't actually be 1.000

Also how should we interpret w? maybe have w be the maximum age for female reproduction?

And what value should be used for b? Note that b has been steadily falling

Use of iterative spreadheets (provided to you) to solve for various scenarios will be part of the next exercise. For example

1. Plug in values of the various parameters to see what combination of parameters (e.g. α, w, s,s_o,s₁, b ) gives us a value for λ between 1.01 and 1.02, which is approximately the growth rate of the world over the last 100 years. Is there a particular parameter that has the most sensitivity?