In the increasingly connected world we live in, outbreaks of viruses such as Ebola and Zika pose serious threats to populations and place serious strains on healthcare systems. Quarantines – states of enforced isolation – are a common measure taken to hinder the spread of disease. In this video, Alexandra Fogg of the University of Leicester, UK, introduces an approach to quarantines known as the SIR model, adopted by health officers to predict the spread of epidemics.

This is one of a collection of videos based on student projects from the University of Leicester’s “Physics Special Topics” course, in which students use their physics knowledge to define and answer a quirky or unusual research question. The videos are part of our 100 Second Science series.