The Birthday of John Steinbeck (1902) – Mathematics of the Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck’s novel describes the Dust Bowl migration. The mathematics of dust storms: fluid dynamics (sediment transport) and population migration (differential equations). The Joad family’s journey is a path in a network (roads). Steinbeck also wrote about the mathematics of labour economics (wages, supply and demand). The number 355 is the number of days in a leap year (Jan 1 – Dec 20?) Actually 355 days from Jan 1 to Dec 20 inclusive? Not important. Steinbeck reminds us that numbers tell human stories – unemployment rates, crop yields, miles travelled.