Classifications of models

When studying models, it is helpful to identify broad categories of models. Classification of individual
models into these categories tells us immediately some of the essentials of their structure. A method
of distinguishing between types of models is to consider the level of understanding on which the
model is based.

What does empirical mean?

Empirical [em-pir-i-kuh l]
adjective
1. derived from or guided by experience or experiment.

2. provable or verifiable by experience or experiment.

3. Knowledge derived from investigation, observation, experimentation, or experience, as opposed to
theoretical knowledge based on logical or mathematical assumptions.

EMPIRICAL MODELING
Empirical model: a mathematical model based on examination of numerical data.
-A model where the structure is determined by the observed relationship among experimental data.
- define a mathematical relationship between quantities in a data set.
-These models can be used to develop relationships for forecasting and describing trends.
-These relationships and trends are not necessarily mechanistically relevant for an empirical model
relies on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory.
In empirical models, no account is taken of the mechanism by which changes to the
system occur. Instead, it is merely noted that they do occur, and the model tries to account
quantitatively for changes associated with different conditions without regard for underlying
biological ideas.

Example: