Difference between revisions of "Model"
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Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> | Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> | ||
| − | Models can be empirically found, or derived from fundamental laws. A good model has a well-defined domain of validity, in which it leads to unambiguous, self consistent results. Ideally it is easy to evaluate. To adaption of a model to a specific problem instance is done by model parameters, which can be defined/measured independently or left as free parameters to fit the model to a realistic situation. A large number of free parameters makes it difficult to assess the validity of the model without independent knowledge. | + | Models can be empirically found, or derived from fundamental laws. A good model has a well-defined domain of validity, in which it leads to unambiguous, self-consistent results. Ideally it is easy to evaluate. To adaption of a model to a specific problem instance is done by model parameters, which can be defined/measured independently or left as free parameters to fit the model to a realistic situation. A large number of free parameters makes it difficult to assess the validity of the model without independent knowledge. |
You can also make a model simply by fiddling around with the data, as NASA did when studying the erosion of O-rings used in the [[space shuttle]]: | You can also make a model simply by fiddling around with the data, as NASA did when studying the erosion of O-rings used in the [[space shuttle]]: | ||
| − | :A mathematical model was made to calculate erosion. This was a model based not on physical understanding but on empirical curve fitting.<ref> [http://www.ralentz.com/old/space/feynman-report.html Feynman's Appendix to the Rogers Commission Report on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident]</ref> | + | :A mathematical model was made to calculate erosion. This was a model based not on physical understanding but on empirical curve fitting.<ref>[http://www.ralentz.com/old/space/feynman-report.html Feynman's Appendix to the Rogers Commission Report on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident]</ref> |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 14:42, June 24, 2016
In science, a model is an aid to understanding that represents an unseen or complex phenomenon.[1]
Models can be empirically found, or derived from fundamental laws. A good model has a well-defined domain of validity, in which it leads to unambiguous, self-consistent results. Ideally it is easy to evaluate. To adaption of a model to a specific problem instance is done by model parameters, which can be defined/measured independently or left as free parameters to fit the model to a realistic situation. A large number of free parameters makes it difficult to assess the validity of the model without independent knowledge.
You can also make a model simply by fiddling around with the data, as NASA did when studying the erosion of O-rings used in the space shuttle:
- A mathematical model was made to calculate erosion. This was a model based not on physical understanding but on empirical curve fitting.[2]
References
- ↑ Wile, Dr. Jay L. Exploring Creation With Biology. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998
- ↑ Feynman's Appendix to the Rogers Commission Report on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident