A Model for Atmospheric Temperature

A mathematical model can be a valuable tool in creating structure for a physical phenomenon, provided it capture sessential aspects of the behavior under investigation. A carefully prepared model can lead to a structure that can reveal significant patterns or variations that might otherwise escape detection. This proved to be the case when I used sine curves to model air temperatures at the earth's surface in a mathematical modeling course last spring. The data I used were 30-year averages of the mean monthly temperatures for 250 cities throughout the United States, furnished by the National Climatic Center in Asheville, North Carolina.