Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2016 / iii / Paper 207 / 3 / a / Solution

In the SIR model, $S,I,R$ count susceptible, infectious, and recovered immune individuals. The closed population has $S+I+R=N+1$. Under homogeneous mixing, use the paper's mass-action infection convention: each susceptible has infection hazard function $\beta I$, so the population infection rate is $\beta SI$. Each infectious individual recovers with hazard function $\gamma$, giving population recovery rate $\gamma I$ and mean infectious duration $1/\gamma$.

The arrows are one-way: recovered individuals are immune, and there are no demographic entries or exits. The transition intensities attached to the arrows are population flow rates, rather than individual hazard functions.