Chapter one: Getting started

Q: What is a model? A: Model is simplification of reality.

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Q: Why do we model? A:  There is one fundamental reason. We build models so that we can better understand the system we are developing.

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Q: Through modeling, which four aims we achieve? A:

• Models help us to visualize a system as it is or as we want it to be.
• Models permit us to specify the structure or behavior of a system.
• Models give us a template that guides us in constructing a system.
• Models document the decisions we have made.

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Q: Principles of Modeling? A:

• The choice of what models to create has a profound influence on how a problem is attacked and how a solution is shaped.
• Every model may be expressed at different levels of precision.
• The best models are connected to reality
• No single model is sufficient. Every nontrivial system is best approached through a small set of nearly independent models.