When you hear the word model, you probably think of a toy, like car or airplane that is a smaller version of the real thing. Scientific models represent objects, events, or even ideas and
are used as tools for understanding the natural world. Models use familiar objects to represent unfamiliar things. Models can help you picture in your mind something that is hard to
see or understand. There are several types of models. Models that you can see and touch are called [
physical models
Computer models
are helpful in modeling events that take a long time, such as the movement of a storm through the country or the movement of a
calculate
things.
is made up of numbers, equations and data. Simple math models allow you to
Conceptual models
math model
make comparisons with familiar things to help illustrate or explain an
idea. For example, the planetary model of the atom helped us think about electrons moving around the nucleus, just like the planets move around the Sun.
planet around the Sun. A