This simple applet gives students the ability to experiment with convergence of powers of a transition matrix, a result known as Perron's Theorem in Linear Algebra. The exploration is done within the economics context of competition for consumers, which makes the numbers have a real context for the students. The discussion and accompanying applet are followed by a handful of suggested exercises to direct student activities to some interesting cases, but instructors may find this tool useful as a supplement for many of the problems they assign from the standard textbook.
Open Cable TV Consumer Preference Model in new window
Tom Kimber, "Cable TV Consumer Preference Model - Editorial Review," Convergence (June 2004)