> [!quote] All models are wrong, some models are useful. > <cite>Erik</cite> A quote I first heard from a very smart man at my work. It's obvious only after hearing it - of course modeling *necessarily* introduces error. There's no such thing as a perfectly representative model. As much as we'd like to be able to do **Infinite Element Analysis**, there is no such thing in practice. Instead we look at the metaphorical [[Spherical Chicken in a Vacuum]]. [[The Truth is Rarely Unnuanced]]. The trick is knowing [[What are You Optimizing For]], remembering that [[What You See is All There Is]], and that you'd better represent the system well [[Enough is Hard to Recognize|enough]] to be able to utilize the model for its intended purpose. This is probably why the [[IDEF0]] spec includes the model's `Purpose` and `Viewpoint` in its prescribed [[Context Diagram]] template. **** # More ## Source - Erik