5 scientific models

In science, a model is a representation of an idea, an object or even a process or a system that is used to describe and explain phenomena that cannot be experienced directly.

Models are central to what scientists do, both in their research as well as when communicating their explanations.

Models are a mentally visual way of linking theory with experiment, and they guide research by being simplified representations of an imagined reality that enable predictions to be developed and tested by experiment.

Why scientists use models

Models have a variety of uses – from providing a way of explaining complex data to presenting as a hypothesis.

Examples of scientific models in biology

There may be more than one model proposed by scientists to explain or predict what might happen in particular circumstances. Often scientists will argue about the ‘rightness’ of their model, and in the process, the model will evolve or be rejected.

Consequently, models are central to the process of knowledge-building in science and demonstrate how science knowledge is tentative.

Think about a model showing the Earth

models used by scientists include