Abstract for "When zombies attack"

The eradication of human civilasation due to a zombie apocalypse is a popular theme among modern movies, video games etc. As the science behind zombie outbreaks has hardly been examined, this paper presents the first mathematical analysis of different zombie outbreak scenarios. The type of zombie this investigation is modeled on, is comparable to those in movies such as Night of the Living Dead. It typically shows features such as slow movements or cannibalism. Smarter and faster-moving zombies from movies such as Dawn of the Dead are excluded from investigations. The intention is to show whether or not, in theory rather than in practice, human-zombie coexistence is possible. In order to calculate this possibilities Euler’s method is applied within five models: the basic model, model with latent infection, model with quarantine, model with treatment, and impulsive eradication. The results show that in all, except the model with treatment, coexistence is not possible. The paper suggests, in case of a zombie apocalypse, to act as fast as possible. The scenarios illustrated in this paper are obviously unrealistic, however, the models can be applied to real life, such as observations of allegiance to political parties or diseases with dormant infection.