You should use one of the computer algebra systems below with this example. Click on the appropriate icon for your preferred CAS and then arrange your screen so that you can easily move back-and-forth between this window and your CAS window. Click on the appropriate help button for help.

The graph above and the table below show the number of lynx trapped each year in the Mackenzie River District of Canada from 1821 through 1934. These records give some measure of the lynx population.

            The Number of Lynx Trapped in the Mackenzie River District

           Year   Count |  Year   Count |  Year   Count |  Year   Count
        ----------------|---------------|---------------|--------------
           1821     269 |  1850     361 |  1879     201 |  1908     345 
           1822     321 |  1851     377 |  1880     229 |  1909     382 
           1823     585 |  1852     225 |  1881     469 |  1910     808 
           1824     871 |  1853     360 |  1882     736 |  1911    1388 
           1825    1475 |  1854     731 |  1883    2042 |  1912    2713 
           1826    2821 |  1855    1638 |  1884    2811 |  1913    3800 
           1827    3928 |  1856    2725 |  1885    4431 |  1914    3091 
           1828    5943 |  1857    2871 |  1886    2511 |  1915    2985 
           1829    4950 |  1858    2119 |  1887     389 |  1916    3790 
           1830    2577 |  1859     684 |  1888      73 |  1917     674 
           1831     523 |  1860     299 |  1889      39 |  1918      81 
           1832      98 |  1861     236 |  1890      49 |  1919      80 
           1833     184 |  1862     245 |  1891      59 |  1920     108 
           1834     279 |  1863     552 |  1892     188 |  1921     229 
           1835     409 |  1864    1623 |  1893     377 |  1922     399 
           1836    2285 |  1865    3311 |  1894    1292 |  1923    1132 
           1837    2685 |  1866    6721 |  1895    4031 |  1924    2432 
           1838    3409 |  1867    4254 |  1896    3495 |  1925    3574 
           1839    1824 |  1868     687 |  1897     587 |  1926    2935 
           1840     409 |  1869     255 |  1898     105 |  1927    1537 
           1841     151 |  1870     473 |  1899     153 |  1928     529 
           1842      45 |  1871     358 |  1900     387 |  1929     485 
           1843      68 |  1872     784 |  1901     758 |  1930     662 
           1844     213 |  1873    1594 |  1902    1307 |  1931    1000 
           1845     546 |  1874    1676 |  1903    3465 |  1932    1590 
           1846    1033 |  1875    2251 |  1904    6991 |  1933    2657 
           1847    2129 |  1876    1426 |  1905    6313 |  1934    3396 
           1848    2536 |  1877     756 |  1906    3794 |

The interesting thing about this data is its almost cyclic behavior -- with periods of high lynx population alternating with periods of lower lynx population. This kind of behavior has been observed in other natural habitats and in habitats in the laboratory shared by two species, one of which is a predator and the other of which is its prey.

The same data is available in your CAS window.