
The dental flossing habits of most people can be described by the following set of equations and is visually represented in the following graph.
Let
x = time, measured in terms of months. Assume that dentist visits are maintained on a six month, periodic cycle. Assume that at x = 0, a dental appointment is kept, with subsequent appointments occurring at a frequency of every 6 months. (i.e. Appointments at x = 6, x = 12, x = 18, etc.) Let a be uniquely defined at the specific times of dental visits (i.e. a = 6, a = 12, a = 18, etc.) Then, Flossing Rate (Fr), can be expressed as a function of time, by the following general equation:
This equation is valid for the range of values of x = a +/- 3 months. Note that Fr is undefined at
x = a. At points where x = a, the following form of the equation is to be used:
This implies that as
x approaches a from values of x either greater than or less than a, the frequency, or rate of flossing, Fr, greatly increases, approaching positive infinity. Therefore, asymptotes occur at points of a. In other words, the flossing rate, Fr, greatly increases as the date of a dental exam approaches. Flossing rate remains high just after a dental exam (i.e. after getting yelled at by the dentist and shamed by the hygienist), but then quickly drops off to low values. This function is plotted on the following graph:
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