ACTIVITY Could We Run out of Food?
Malthus thought we could. Do the following activity to better understand
Malthus's hypothesis. Get 2 empty egg cartons and a bag of rice. Label one
carton “Food supply" and the second carton "Population growth." In the food
supply carton, place one grain of rice in the first cup. Increase the amount by
one in each subsequent cup. Each grain represents a unit of food. In the
population growth carton, place one grain of rice in the first cup, and double the
number of grains of rice in each subsequent cup. This rice represents people.
1. How many “people" are there in the last cup?
2. How many units of food are there in the last cup?
3. What conclusion can you draw?