Modeling the World
Physicists use models to represent one thing using another thing. What’s the point? The point of a model is to simplify something to make its analysis easier. Yeah, models are the only way to use laziness for good.
We use a ton of different models. We might create a flow chart of the mating habits of carrier pigeons, or a 3D computer model of a Big Mac to figure out the secret of its success. We might even create an actual, hands-on, physical model. But that’s another lesson.
Modeling might be part of physics, but it’s at the heart of human nature. Let’s say we’re explaining something complicated to a small child, like how rainbows happen. How can we help the child understand? Make it simpler. We might use an analogy: we could say that light is like a bag of skittles, and that, like the skittles, it’s made up of parts of many colors, so when light is split apart, we see those colors. They’ll never see the words “taste the rainbow” the same way again. Our bag of skittles just became a superb model for light. We could explain the phases of the Moon using a physical model, like a soccer ball, we could model the atmosphere using a bowl of water, the list goes on and on. Models make everything easier to understand and analyze.
In physics, the most used model is one that’s made out of math. While writing long, complex math equations might not be most people’s idea of an exciting Saturday night (maybe just ours), they are absolutely vital to physics. Unlike in math class where everything can be abstract and without a connection to anything, in physics those equations reveal true characteristics of parts of the our very real universe. So putting a bunch of those equations together, we can describe natural phenomena with huge amounts of precision, which is pretty cool.
Some physicists might enjoy studying physics for the sake of knowledge, but not all of them. People learn about physics and use its models to create the physics engines that control how objects move in video games, or to help Hollywood create CGI graphics for the latest Disney movie, or by mechanics designing the fastest cars. Use the powers you gain learning physics for good, and maybe a dollop of lighthearted evil.