IA ideas · for IB Economics students
Maths IA ideas for economics students
Economics is built on mathematics: inequality is measured with Lorenz curves and integrals, loans and savings are geometric series, auctions and bargaining are game theory, and markets can be modelled with Markov chains or simulated with random returns.
These ideas give an economics student a Maths IA that uses that interest without becoming an economics essay. Each one asks a precise question that needs calculation, and most use real data from central banks, the World Bank or your own observations.
Accessible (1)
Solid (12)
- Measuring inequality: fitting Lorenz curves and computing the Gini coefficientAA SLAA HLAI SLAI HLSolid
- Does money buy a longer life? GDP and life expectancyAI SLAI HLAA SLAA HLSolid
- Where does e come from? Compounding more and more oftenAA SLAA HLSolid
- What price maximises profit at our school bake sale?AA SLAI SLAA HLAI HLSolid
- The cheapest healthy weekly shop: a linear programming diet problemAI SLAI HLAA SLSolid
- Who should pay what for a shared taxi? The Shapley valueAA SLAI SLAA HLSolid
- Will one phone brand take over? Brand loyalty as a Markov chainAI HLSolid
- What interest rate are you really paying? Solving for the rate by iterationAI SLAI HLAA SLSolid
- Will I ever repay my student loan?AI SLAI HLAA SLSolid
- How much is being near a station worth?AI SLAI HLAA SLSolid
- Turning votes into seats: D'Hondt, Sainte-Laguë and largest remainderAI SLAA SLAI HLSolid
- What speed minimises the total cost of a long drive?AA SLAI SLAA HLAI HLSolid
Ambitious (3)
More in this area: all finance & economics IA ideas · optimisation & linear programming · voting, fairness & game theory · simulation & monte carlo methods. Thinking of using the same topic or data as another IA? Check your school's policy and ask both teachers first.
Frequently asked questions
What maths IA topics suit an economics student?
Inequality measures (Lorenz curves, Gini coefficients), loans and investments (geometric series, annuities), optimisation of profit or cost, game theory and auctions, and statistical models of prices or growth.
Is a finance IA too simple for HL?
A single compound-interest calculation is. HL versions add calculus (continuous compounding, optimisation), simulation with random returns, or rigorous statistics on real data.
Where can I find economic data?
FRED, the World Bank, the ONS and Eurostat publish free time series with CSV downloads; each idea page links the sources it uses.
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