Question

Using any of the examples with which you might be familiar or other experience you have had with models, modeling, or model-building in science, engineering, or information science contexts, briefly discuss how "all models are wrong" and separately, how "but some are useful" is an accurate (if sarcastic) description of how science, engineering, and information science uses models.

Answer 1

"All models are wrong," that is because it is a simplification of reality, every model is incorrect. Some models, particularly in the "hard" sciences, are just a little incorrect. They disregard stuff like friction or the gravitational effects of small bodies. Other models are a lot wrong-they disregard the larger stuff like in social sciences. Given perfect information, a model that provides ideal predictions for such accurately recognized occurrences could be created in theory. Nevertheless, even given these unlikely conditions, such a model may be so complicated that it is computationally infeasible to use and may only be precise at a specified time as other variables alter how values change with occurrences. For example, we use the law PV = RT concerning pressure P, volume V and temperature T of the "ideal" gas via constant R is not exactly true for any real gas.

"But some are useful"-it may be quite helpful to simplify the truth. They can assist us to clarify, predict and comprehend the universe and all its different parts. Because the most real-world information contains uncertainty and randomness, attempts to achieve an ideal model are a futile exercise. Rather, it is more important to consider acquiring a sufficiently precise model that is sufficiently easy to use in terms of both the information and the computation needed for its use. While it is recognized that these models are imperfect, some of these faults are well established and can be regarded for model-based decision making. Simpler models may be imperfect, but they are also simpler to reason, to compare with each other, and maybe simpler to work with because they are likely to be less challenging computationally. Coming back to the example of PV=RT it is inaccurate, but often provides a useful approximation and, furthermore, its structure is informative since it is based on a physical view of the behavior of the gas molecules.