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A physical model will describe the system, the state of its constituents (including perhaps geometric and temporal structure), their internal interactions, external interactions, and the changes of state (i.e. behavior). Models combine the definitions, concepts, procedures, interactions, laws of nature and other relationships that model some aspect of the physical world. Models intermediate between laws of nature, which are relationships among abstract quantities, and experimental/experiential reality.
A physical model is a mentally linked collection of physical laws, concepts, equations, and associated descriptions that relate to a particular common patterns found in nature. Examples are motion with constant acceleration, harmonic motion, energy conservation, and applying SΣF = ma to a point particle. A model consists of the following pieces:
- the physical systems/situations where the model applies and vocabulary of involved objects, state variables, and agents(interactions) involved.
- specification of the independent and dependent (measurable) state variables that characterize the system and which the model interrelates
- what idealizations and physical theories underlie the model and the resulting equations, representations
- descriptions of the model and interpretation of its predictions as expressed in all various useful representations
- the behavior/change in state, geometric, temporal, and interaction structure
Characteristics of Models:
Name: Each model must have a name
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