mathematical model

mathematical model, either a physical representation of mathematical concepts or a mathematical representation of reality. Physical mathematical models include reproductions of plane and solid geometric figures made of cardboard, wood, plastic, or other substances; models of conic sections, curves in space, or three-dimensional surfaces of various kinds made of wire, plaster, or thread strung from frames; and models of surfaces of higher order that make it possible to visualize abstract mathematical concepts.

Mathematical models of reality are the vastly more important type of representation. Essentially, anything in the physical or biological world, whether natural or involving technology and human intervention, is subject to analysis by mathematical models if it can be described in terms of mathematical expressions. Thus, optimization and control theory may be used to model industrial processes, traffic patterns, sediment transport in streams, and other situations; information theory may be used to model message transmission, linguistic characteristics, and the like; and dimensional analysis and computer simulation may be used to model atmospheric circulation patterns, stress distribution in engineering structures, the growth and development of landforms, and a host of other processes in science and engineering.