A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin modulus, a measure.[1]
Models can be divided into physical models (e.g. a ship model or a fashion model) and abstract models (e.g. a set of mathematical equations describing the workings of the atmosphere for the purpose of weather forecasting). Abstract or conceptual models are central to philosophy of science.[2][3]
In scholarly research and applied science, a model should not be confused with a theory: while a model seeks only to represent reality with the purpose of better understanding or predicting the world, a theory is more ambitious in that it claims to be an explanation of reality.[4]
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/OED/3984201854, retrieved 1 July 2023
- ^ Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster.
- ^ Tatomir, A.; et al. (2018). "Conceptual model development using a generic Features, Events, and Processes (FEP) database for assessing the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on groundwater aquifers". Advances in Geosciences. 45: 185–192. Bibcode:2018AdG....45..185T. doi:10.5194/adgeo-45-185-2018. hdl:20.500.11820/b83437b4-6791-4c4c-8f45-744a116c6ead.
- ^ Wunsch, G. (1994). "Theories, models, and data". Demografie. 36 (1): 20–29. PMID 12346076.