What are "Abstractions" (Models) ?

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What are Abstractions?

Abstractions and modeling of various kinds are very common in Science & Engineering

“a process of hiding details of implementation in programs and data”    Wikipedia

“Abstraction, in general, is a fundamental concept in computer science and software development. The process of abstraction can also be referred to as modeling and is closely related to the concepts of theory and design. Models can also be considered types of abstractions per their generalisation of aspects of reality”    Wikipedia

“What is a model? A scientific model, or simply a model, is a conceptual, mathematical, or physical depiction of a real-world phenomenon”    (Brooker et al. 2020, p. 18)

“A model is a simplification and abstraction of a researcher’s perception of reality. In biology, models are testable ideas that are usually derived from observations and experiments. Because of the vast amount of complexity and variation found in nature, all but the simplest models are imperfect depictions of living things, their working parts, and their interactions with the environment”    (Brooker et al. 2020, p. 18)

“Why are models useful? One reason is they promote communication. Models allow scientists/engineers to convey their ideas in a relatively simple way”    (Brooker et al. 2020, p. 18)

“Another useful aspect of a model is that it can be used as a working hypothesis that helps researchers visualise or explain biological phenomena¹. Such models form the basis for conducting further experiments. Models are evaluated by their consistency with experimental data, which enables researchers to accept, reject, or refine them. Likewise, models allow researchers to make meaningful predictions. Such predictions can be refuted or supported via experimentation”    (Brooker et al. 2020, p. 18)

Models take on many different forms. Let’s consider some common categories of models that you will see:

• Structural models
  “A structural model shows the physical structures of components that make up living organisms”
• Mechanistic models
  “A mechanistic model (also called a physiological model) describes the workings of the individual parts of a complex system, and the manner in which they interact”
• Mathematical models
  “A mathematical model is a description of a process or a system using mathematical concepts, symbols, and diagrams. Many mathematical models are presented as one or more equations”
• Temporal models
  “A temporal model depicts a biological process as it occurs over a short or long period of time”
• Hierarchical models
  “In a hierarchical model, organisms, parts of organisms, or observations fall into nested levels”
  All the above points (Brooker et al. 2020, p. 18)

“Whatever its design, the test of a model is how well it fits the available data, how comfortably it accommodates new observations, how accurately it predicts the outcomes of new experiments, and how effectively it clarifies and communicates the idea or process it represents”    (Campbell and Reece 2005, p. 25)

References:

Brooker, R. J., Widmaier, E. P., Graham, L. E. and Stiling, P. D., 2020. Biology. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Campbell, N. A. and Reece, J. B., 2005. Biology. 7th ed. San Francisco: Pearson, Benjamin Cummings.