Data Science: Models (Definitions)

"A model is essentially a calculating engine designed to produce some output for a given input." (Richard C Lewontin, "Models, Mathematics and Metaphors", Synthese, Vol. 15, No. 2, 1963)

"A model is an abstract description of the real world. It is a simple representation of more complex forms, processes and functions of physical phenomena and ideas." (Moshe F Rubinstein & Iris R Firstenberg, "Patterns of Problem Solving", 1975)

"A model is an attempt to represent some segment of reality and explain, in a simplified manner, the way the segment operates." (E Frank Harrison, "The managerial decision-making process" , 1975)

"A model is a representation containing the essential structure of some object or event in the real world." (David W Stockburger, "Introductory Statistics", 1996)

"A model is a deliberately simplified representation of a much more complicated situation." (Robert M Solow, "How Did Economics Get That Way and What Way Did It Get?", Daedalus Vol. 126 (1), 1997)

"Models are synthetic sets of rules, pictures, and algorithms providing us with useful representations of the world of our perceptions and of their patterns." (Burton G Malkiel, "A Random Walk Down Wall Street", 1999)

"A model is an imitation of reality" (Ian T Cameron & Katalin M Hangos, "Process Modelling and Model Analysis", 2001)

"Models are replicas or representations of particular aspects and segments of the real world" (Paulraj Ponniah, "Data Modeling Fundamentals", 2007)

"A model is a simplification of reality." (Alexey Voinov, "Systems Science and Modeling for Ecological Economics", 2008)

"a model is a representation of reality intended for some definite purpose." (Michael Pidd, "Tools for Thinking" 3rd Ed., 2009)

"A model is a representation of some subject matter." (Alec Sharp & Patrick McDermott, "Workflow Modeling" 2nd Ed, 2009)

"An abstract representation of how something is built (or is to be built), or how something works (or is observed as working)." (DAMA International, "The DAMA Dictionary of Data Management", 2011)

"A model is a simplified representation of a system. It can be conceptual, verbal, diagrammatic, physical, or formal (mathematical)." (Hiroki Sayama, "Introduction to the Modeling and Analysis of Complex Systems", 2015)

"A formal set of relationships that can be manipulated to test assumptions. A simulation that tests the number of units that can be processed each hour under a set of conditions is an example of a model. Models do not need to be graphical." (Appian)

"Model is simply a representation or simulation of some real-world phenomenon." (Accenture)