Modeling as a method of scientific knowledge. A model is such a material or mentally represented object that, in the process of studying, replaces the original object - presentation

information modeling

Modeling is a method of cognition, consisting in the creation and study of models, i.e. study of objects by building and studying models.

Model- this is some simplified similarity of a real object that reflects essential features(properties) of the studied real object, phenomenon or process.

Model- this is such a material or mentally represented object that replaces the original object for the purpose of its study, while retaining some of the typical features and properties of the original that are important for this study.

An object is some part of the surrounding world, considered by a person as a whole. Each object has a name and has parameters, i.e. signs or quantities that characterize any property of the object and take on various values.

The model should be built in such a way that it most fully reproduces the qualities of the object that need to be studied in accordance with the goal. In all respects, the model should be simpler than the object and more convenient to study. Thus, for the same object, there may exist various models, classes of models corresponding to various purposes of its study.

Modeling steps:

1. Statement of the problem: description of the problem, purpose of modeling, formalization of the problem

2. Model development: information model, computer model

3. Computer experiment - experiment plan, research

4. Analysis of simulation results

A well-built model, as a rule, is more accessible for research than a real object (for example, such as the economy of a country, solar system etc.). Another, no less important purpose of the model is that it helps to identify the most significant factors that form certain properties of the object. The model also allows you to learn how to control an object, which is important in cases where experimenting with an object is inconvenient, difficult or impossible (for example, when the experiment has a long duration or when there is a risk of bringing the object into an undesirable or irreversible state).

Thus, we can conclude that the model is necessary in order to:

- to understand how a particular object is arranged - what are its structure, basic properties, laws of development and interaction with the outside world;

– learn to manage an object or process and determine best ways management with given goals and criteria (optimization);

- predict direct and indirect consequences of the implementation of the specified methods and forms of impact on the object, process.

Aspects of modeling can be the appearance, structure, behavior of the object of modeling, as well as their various combinations.

The structure of an object is the totality of its elements and the links existing between them.

The behavior of an object is the change in its appearance and structure over time as a result of interaction with other objects.

Modeling the appearance of an object is used to:

Identification (recognition) of an object;

long-term storage of the image.

Object structure modeling is used to:

its visual representation;

studying the properties of an object;

identifying significant relationships;

· studying the stability of the object.

Behavior modeling is used for:

· planning, forecasting;

Establishing links with other objects;

Identification of causal relationships;

management;

designing technical devices, etc.

In the process of modeling, each aspect of modeling is revealed through a set of properties.

The models do not reflect all the properties of the object, but only those that are essential from the point of view of the purpose of modeling.

each aspect of modeling is characterized by its own set of properties:

appearance - a set of features;

structure - a list of elements and an indication of the relationship between them;

behavior - a change in appearance and structure over time.

Some properties of the modeling object can be expressed by values that take numerical values. Such quantities are called model parameters.

An information model can be considered as some new information object, which, in turn, can also be a modeling object.

What is an object model and why is it created;
- what role does information play when creating a model;
- what is an information model;
- what is the adequacy of the information model.

The role of the goal in the development of an information model of an object

Knowing the world, each of us forms our own idea of it. One of the ways of cognition is the creation and study of a model of a real object, process or natural phenomenon. When constructing and studying a model, it is customary to introduce a generalized concept of the object of study (original, prototype), meaning by this any material or intangible object (process), as well as a natural phenomenon.

A model is understood as a material or mentally represented object, which in the process of research replaces the original object so that its study provides new knowledge about the original object. The model acts as a kind of tool of knowledge, which the researcher puts between himself and the object of study and with the help of which he studies the object of interest to him. The modeling process is a cyclic process, as a result of which it is possible to repeatedly change the model itself, constantly improving and refining it.

When creating a model milestone is the collection of information about the object in the amount required by the goal of building the model. Without such information, model development is impossible.

A model is an object that reflects the essential properties of a real object of study, which are selected in accordance with a given modeling goal.

There are no strict rules on how best to present the model. However, humanity has accumulated vast experience in this field of activity. Models can take on all sorts of shapes and forms. Regardless of this, the model can be attributed either to the class of material or to the class of non-material models.

Any model is created and changed due to the information that a person has about real objects or phenomena. The ability to create models, as well as, in general, the possibilities in the knowledge of the surrounding world, depends on the ability of a person to correctly understand and process information. In order to study a real object, we purposefully collect information about it.

This information can be stored in a person’s memory, but if it is presented in any form in one of the information coding languages, then in this case we can talk about the creation and use of an information model of the research object (original).

The study of some aspects of the original object is carried out at the cost of refusing to reflect other aspects. Therefore, any information model replaces a real-life object only in a strictly limited sense. It follows from this that several information models can be created for one object, focusing attention on certain aspects of the object under study and characterizing the object with varying degrees detail.

As an illustration, consider the housing construction industry. It's about building a house. What should be the information model of this house? It turns out that there can be many. Their number is determined by the goal facing those who are related to this construction. It is obvious that the points of view of the apartment buyer, architect, investor and construction organization in determining the purpose of building an information model differ significantly from each other. Thus, for the house in question, several different information models can be created, depending on the goal that is set for those who create it. Let's consider some of them.

Suppose the buyer's goal is to purchase a comfortable home. To build an information model, the most significant information should be selected in accordance with a given goal. Although the concept of comfort is ambiguous - everyone understands it in their own way, let's try to express it in one of the possible interpretations. We list the main indicators that should determine comfort. The house should be located in a quiet green place, equipped with modern technical devices, it should have an underground garage, a concierge or a security guard should sit in the entrance. To build an information model, it is necessary to select information that reflects all the requirements listed above and present it, for example, in the form of a table or list. The task of the buyer includes: search for companies that are engaged in the construction of such houses; construction for each variant of the corresponding information model; according to the results of the analysis - choice the best option in terms of the target. The selected option will be the information model (Table 1.1).

Table 1.1. Information models of houses under construction from the point of view of the buyer.
The goal is to acquire comfortable housing

We will use a similar technique to build information models for other persons interested in construction, for example, an investor and an architect. It is clear that the goals in both cases will be completely different compared to the buyer, which means that the models will also differ.

From the investor's point of view, the main goal is to make a profit, which means that the indicators that contain the information of interest to him will mainly be of a financial nature (Table 1.2).

Table 1.2. Information models of houses under construction from the point of view of the investor.
The goal is to get maximum profit

From the point of view of an architect, the main goal is to develop a modern architectural design, taking into account environment: adjacent territory with the established style of nearby houses, existing infrastructure, ecology, etc. Several options for an information model corresponding to this goal are given in Table. 1.3.

Let's highlight the main thing that you should pay attention to when building an information model:

♦ first, the goal of building an information model should be clearly formulated;
♦ then select information relevant to this purpose for several similar objects of study;
♦ then present this information using one of the information coding languages, for example, in the form of a list of parameters (indicators) and their values for each object in tabular form(as shown in Tables 1.1-1.3).

Table 1.3. Information models of houses under construction from the point of view of an architect.
The goal is to create an architectural design that matches the environment

An information model is a model containing purposefully selected and presented in some form the most essential information about an object.

Information models play a very important role in human life. The knowledge gained in the lessons at school allows you to create various information models that together reflect the information picture of the world around you.

The lessons of history make it possible to build a model for the development of society, and knowledge of this model allows you to create a history of your life, either repeating the mistakes of your ancestors, or taking them into account.

In astronomy lessons available means talk about the solar system.

In geography lessons, you get information about geographical objects: mountains, rivers, cities and countries. These are also information models.

In chemistry lessons, information about chemical properties and the laws of interaction of different substances is supported by experiments that are models of real chemical processes.

Before building a model, it is necessary to collect information about the subject or phenomenon under study and present it in an appropriate form. Forms of presentation of information models can be different. Most commonly used the following forms:
♦ oral (verbal);
♦ sign: tabular, graphic, symbolic (text, numbers, special characters);
♦ in the form of gestures or signals.

The form of presentation of information usually depends on the tool with which it will be processed. Nowadays, computers are used in most cases to process information. This universal tool allows you to develop and explore models of various objects: molecules and atoms, bridges and architectural structures, aircraft and cars. The computer memory can store large amounts of information about the object under study. This allows you to consider an object from different angles, explore its shape, states, actions, using a specific model and appropriate modeling methods for each case.

One of the most convenient forms of information model representation is a table. It is this form that is chosen as the main one in the entire set of textbooks. This is also due to the fact that the modeling and study of the properties of the model will be carried out on a computer, where a strict formalization of the task is required. Such a table reflects the main characteristics of the object, selected in accordance with the goal of modeling. Table 1 can serve as examples of this form of presentation. 1.1-1.3.

The concept of information model adequacy

Any model should reflect the most significant, from the point of view of the goal, properties of the object of study (original or prototype). The object of research can be not only a material object that a person can touch (a house, a tree, a flower, a piece of furniture), but also an intangible object, process or phenomenon (a piece of music, an oral story, a natural phenomenon, a dance).

Compliance with the original model can be achieved by appearance, in structure, in behavior, both individually and in combination of these features, depending on the goal of the study. Compliance in appearance is achieved mainly by meeting structural, ergonomic and aesthetic requirements. Structural conformity is achieved using system analysis object of study, as a result of which the composition of its elements is determined - simple objects that make up the original, as well as the relationships connecting them. All this together determines the structure of the object under study, the most essential features of which should be reflected in the model. Behavioral compliance is achieved by analyzing the behavior of the prototype, that is, studying its dynamic properties, and creating a model that would reflect the most significant aspects of this behavior.

In all these cases, the problem of assessing the quality of the model arises. The quality of a model depends on its ability to reflect and reproduce objects and phenomena of the objective world, their structure and regular order. How much information needs to be collected in order for the resulting information model to fully reflect the essential properties of the original object? To answer this question, the concept of model adequacy is introduced in modeling.

The adequacy of the model is the correspondence of the model to the original object in terms of those properties that are considered essential for the study.

The adequacy of the information model is the correspondence of the information model to the original object in terms of those properties that are considered essential for the study.

The concept of adequacy is to some extent conditional, since full compliance of the model with the real object cannot be achieved. Any model has differences from the original. The model loses its meaning both in the case of complete adequacy to the original, when it ceases to be a model and becomes an exact copy of the modeled object, and in case of insufficient adequacy, excessive difference from the original, when the properties essential for the study are not reflected in the model.

A special role in determining the degree of adequacy is played by the information model, which the researcher needs not only as an independent object, but also as the basis for creating a material model. Recall that the information model includes only those parameters (indicators) that reflect the most significant information from the point of view of the goal. This means that some information will not be included in the information model. How to find the golden mean: what to include and what to neglect? The answer to this question can be given by checking the adequacy of the information model to the original.

The adequacy of the information model is determined in several ways, but, as a rule, these are rigorous mathematical methods of analysis based on probability theory and mathematical statistics. The method of numerical experiment on a computer is widespread, where it is also necessary to apply mathematical methods as a tool for generalizing the results obtained.

For a more rough assessment of the adequacy of the model, you can use more simple methods: for example, observation of the state and behavior of the original object or comparison with similar real or ideal objects that exist only in the human imagination.

Let us turn to the previous example related to the construction of a house. What is the adequacy of the three models presented in Table. 1.1-1.3, a real object? Realizing that the real object has not yet been built, it is too early to talk about the presence of any adequacy. However, this is why models exist, in order to achieve the smallest possible differences between the model and the real object already at the preliminary stages. From a buyer's point of view, major degree adequacy can be achieved if the selected option lists the largest number indicators, the values of which correspond to the stated goal - maximum comfort. If we analyze the presented four options for the values of the parameters in Table. 1.1, then preference should be given to Elita, but this will be the most expensive housing. If the buyer imposes restrictions on the cost of the apartment, then the adequacy of the information models of other companies is less. In this case, you need to extra work to comprehend their requirements, refine existing information models in order to clarify additional information aspects, and then re-evaluate the adequacy of all three variants of the models. The same should be done for other information models, for the investor and the architect. Do it yourself.

Control questions and tasks

Tasks

1. Consider various options information models for the example of a house under construction given in the topic. For each model, evaluate its adequacy.

2. As an object of study, select the object "school" and develop information models that reflect the point of view of the student, parent of the student, school director. For each model, evaluate its adequacy.

3. Select the object "river" as the object of study and develop information models that reflect the point of view of the fisherman and the artist. For each model, evaluate its adequacy.

4. As an object of study, select the object "store" and develop information models that reflect the point of view of the buyer, seller and store owner. For each model, evaluate its adequacy.

5. As an object of study, select the process of creating a school play. Develop several information models. For each model, evaluate its adequacy.

Control questions

1. What is an object model?

2. What is meant by the object of research and what are the synonyms for this concept?

3. What kinds of models do you know?

4. What is an information model of an object?

5. What is the most important thing when building an information model?

6. What is model adequacy and why is this concept introduced^

7. How to make sure that the information model is adequate; original?

Information object

After studying this topic, you will learn and repeat:

What is an information picture of the world;
- what is an information object;
- How do the information model and the information object relate to each other.

We live in the real world, surrounded by various material objects. The presence of information about the objects of the real world generates another world, inseparable from consciousness specific people where only information exists. We give this world a variety of names. One of these names is the information picture of the world.

Cognition of the real world occurs through the information picture of the world. A person forms his own idea of the real world, receiving and comprehending information about each real object, process or phenomenon. At the same time, each person has his own information picture of the world, which depends on many factors, both subjective and objective. Of course, the level of education of a person plays a big role here. The informational pictures of the world of a schoolchild, a student and a teacher will differ significantly. The more voluminous and diverse the information that a person can perceive, the more colorful this picture is. So, for example, a child's information picture of the world is not at all the same as his. parents.

One of the ways of knowing the real world is modeling, which is primarily associated with the selection of the necessary information and the construction of an information model. However, any information model reflects the real object only in a limited aspect - in accordance with the goal set by the person. This is where a certain "inferiority" of perception of the world arises, if a person studies it only from one side, determined by one goal. Comprehensive knowledge of the surrounding world is possible only when there are different information models corresponding to different goals.

Suppose we have created several information models for one real world object (Fig. 1.2). Their number is determined by the number of targets set. For example, the information models of our planet for a schoolchild, an astronomer, a meteorologist and a geodesist will differ significantly, since they have different goals, which means that the information they select and form the basis of the information model will be different.

During development, the model is constantly compared with the prototype object to assess its compliance with the original. The measure of compliance is the concept of adequacy, discussed in the previous topic.

Rice. 1.2. Relationship between real world objects and information models

What will happen if we deal only with information models, moving away from the real world? In this case, there is no need for the concept of adequacy, since by eliminating the object, we thereby break the virtual connection that establishes the object-model relationship. And this means that we will completely immerse ourselves in a virtual, non-existent world, where only information circulates. There will be nothing to compare the model with, which means that there will be no need for the modeling itself.

Thus, the model turns into a kind of independent object, which is a collection of information.

Remembering the concept of an object, which is defined as some part of the surrounding world, considered as a whole, we can suggest that an information model that has no connection with the original object can also be considered an object, but not material, but informational. Thus, the information object is obtained from the information model by "alienating" information from the original object.

An information object is a collection of logically related information.

Then the information world will be a set of various information objects (Fig. 1.3).

Rice. 1.3. After breaking the links with the objects of the real world, there remains a set of information objects

An information object "alienated" from the original object can be stored on various material media. The simplest material carrier of information is paper. There are also magnetic, electronic, laser and other storage media.

With information objects fixed on a material carrier, you can perform the same actions as with information when working on a computer: enter them, store, process, transfer. However, the technology of working with information objects will be somewhat different than with information models. Creating an information model, we determined the purpose of modeling and, in accordance with it, identified essential features, focusing on the study. In the case of an information object, we are dealing with a simpler technology, since no research is needed. Here, the traditional stages of information processing are quite enough: input, storage, processing, transmission.

When working with information objects, the computer plays an important role. Using the opportunities that office technologies provide to the user, you can create a variety of professional computer documents that will be varieties of information objects. Everything that is created in computer environments will be an information object.

A literary work, a newspaper article, an order are examples of information objects in the form of text documents. Pictures, drawings, schemes are information objects in the form of graphic documents. Accrual statement wages, a table of the cost of purchases made in a wholesale store, an estimate for the performance of work, and other types of documents in tabular form, where automatic calculations are made using formulas that link table cells, are examples of information objects in the form of spreadsheets. The result of a selection from the database is also an information object.

Quite often we are dealing with compound documents in which information is presented in different forms. Such documents may contain text, figures, tables, formulas, and much more. School textbooks, magazines, newspapers are well-known examples of compound documents that are information objects of a complex structure. To create compound documents, software environments are used that provide the possibility of presenting information in various forms.

Computer-generated presentations and hypertext documents are other examples of complex information objects. The presentation is a set of computer slides that provide not only the presentation of information, but also its display according to a pre-created scenario. Hypertext can be a document that contains hyperlinks to other parts of the same document or to other documents containing additional information.