1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910254063403321

Autore

Gerlee Philip

Titolo

Scientific models : red atoms, white lies and black boxes in a yellow book / / by Philip Gerlee, Torbjörn Lundh

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2016

ISBN

3-319-27081-8

Edizione

[1st ed. 2016.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (X, 96 p. 28 illus., 8 illus. in color.)

Disciplina

003.3

Soggetti

Mathematical models

Biomathematics

Mathematics—Philosophy

Mathematical Modeling and Industrial Mathematics

Mathematical and Computational Biology

Philosophy of Mathematics

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references.

Nota di contenuto

Prologue -- History -- Structure, Relation and Use -- Interviews -- Worked Examples -- Epilogue -- Further Reading.

Sommario/riassunto

A zebrafish, the hull of a miniature ship, a mathematical equation and a food chain - what do these things have in common? They are examples of models used by scientists to isolate and study particular aspects of the world around us. This book begins by introducing the concept of a scientific model from an intuitive perspective, drawing parallels to mental models and artistic representations. It then recounts the history of modelling from the 16th century up until the present day. The iterative process of model building is described and discussed in the context of complex models with high predictive accuracy versus simpler models that provide more of a conceptual understanding. To illustrate the diversity of opinions within the scientific community, we also present the results of an interview study, in which ten scientists from different disciplines describe their views on modelling and how models feature in their work. Lastly, it includes a number of worked examples that span different modelling approaches and techniques. It



provides a comprehensive introduction to scientific models and shows how models are constructed and used in modern science. It also addresses the approach to, and the culture surrounding modelling in different scientific disciplines. It serves as an inspiration for model building and also facilitates interdisciplinary collaborations by showing how models are used in different scientific fields. The book is aimed primarily at students in the sciences and engineering, as well as students at teacher training colleges but will also appeal to interested readers wanting to get an overview of scientific modelling in general and different modelling approaches in particular.