The rationale for modeling

Models provide abstractions of a physical system that allow engineers to reason about that system by ignoring extraneous details while focusing on relevant ones. All forms of engineering rely on models to understand complex, real-world systems. Models are used in many ways: to predict system qualities, reason about specific properties when aspects of the system are changed, and communicate key system characteristics to various stakeholders. The models may be developed as a precursor to implementing the physical system, or they may be derived from an existing system or a system in development as an aid to understanding its behavior.