Tag
Approximation
Entries tagged approximation.
2 entries
Mental model
Estimation and orders of magnitude
An order-of-magnitude estimate breaks an unknown quantity into a chain of roughly known factors, so that the errors in each factor partially cancel and the product lands within a defensible range of the truth.
7 min
ConceptPhysical models and idealization
A physical model is a deliberately simplified stand in for a real system, built by naming and discarding certain features on purpose, and it is only useful once you can state what it ignores and where that neglect starts to matter.
6 min