Nature reveals itself to us through interactions. We can tell from observations that it is nature’s interactions that lead to its evolution. How nature is changing and predicting how it will change in the future is the work of science. In this work, we observe nature and its interactions to make models of those observations. We aim to predict and explain our observations of nature through this building of models.
In physics, our goals are typically to explain and predict observations of physical phenomenon. Here, we focus ourselves to those canonical things that physicists concern themselves with: motion, fields, waves, atoms, nuclei, and so on.
What is a model?¶
Physics is a science that builds models. Typically, these models are represented mathematically in the form of equations or formula, but we can use charts, graphs, animations, and so on to represent our models. Models used in physics are often constructed by a community of scientists who have agreed on the model’s utility and accuracy. Experimental observations are used to validate these models.
Modeling is the process of constructing a model. This process is often iterative where the initial ideas and assumptions are used to formulate a model. It is then tested against observations and refined. This process is repeated until the model is accurate enough to be useful. Physicists are model builders and model users.
Geoscientist John Aiken made this short video when he was a graduate student at Georgia Tech. John cut clips from a lecture Richard Feynman gave. In this lecture, Feynman talks about the nature of models and the process of science. John also interviewed different science researchers and teachers about their understanding of what a model is.
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Feynman on the Process of Science¶
Richard Feynman was a physicist who made significant contributions to physics, especially in the field of quantum mechanics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his work in quantum electrodynamics. In his time, he was known as a great teacher and communicator of physics. And his lectures are still used in physics education today -- even for planning this class.
Feynman was a gifted communicator; his lectures are lively and conceptual. Here’s the longer version of the lecture he gave on the nature of models and the process of science.
Source: https://
History and Philosophy of Science¶
If you would like to dive deeper into models and modeling, there is excellent work in the history and philosophy of science. These fields examine how scientific knowledge and methods develop.