Examples of Models
The globe
Soundwaves like a pebble dropped into still water
Model airplane or cars
Fashion Model
Photographs
Graphs
Equations in physics and chemistry
Diagrams
3-D models
Animations
Prototypes
Cash flows
Written language
A model airplane, however complex, is simple when compared to the real thing.
Billiard balls
The forces of electromagnetic repulsion between particles of like charges are compared to billiard balls hitting each other.
The solar system model of the atom
This model has the nucleus at the centre of the atom like the sun is in the solar system, and the electrons orbiting the nucleus like planets. This is useful for visualising electron energy levels, but it isn't what the atom actually looks like.
Diagrams and Graphs
Help us organize data and see patterns or tendencies that are not evident from the raw data.
Weather model
A computer model of the weather tries to predict the weather in the future from the weather today.
The computer model of human brain function
This model compares the working of the human brain to a computer, where RAM is short-term memory and the hard drives are long-term memory. It also covers the senses, as they are like input into a computer. Information from the senses are also processed, like how a computer program will interpret data, and responses are like the computer's output. This is a very simplified description of the brain's function, but it works on some levels.
Compare and contrast stories and maps
Compare and contrast stories and maps
See
What do you see in this image?
Observations only
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Think
Connect observations
to prior knowledge
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Wonder
Make inferences
What questions do you have?
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