Editing Mathematical model (section)

====Scope of the model====

Assessing the scope of a model, that is, determining what situations the model is applicable to, can be less straightforward.  If the model was constructed based on a set of data, one must determine for which systems or situations the known data is a "typical" set of data. The question of whether the model describes well the properties of the system between data points is called [[interpolation]], and the same question for events or data points outside the observed data is called [[extrapolation]].

As an example of the typical limitations of the scope of a model, in evaluating Newtonian [[classical mechanics]], we can note that Newton made his measurements without advanced equipment, so he could not measure properties of particles traveling at speeds close to the speed of light.  Likewise, he did not measure the movements of molecules and other small particles, but macro particles only. It is then not surprising that his model does not extrapolate well into these domains, even though his model is quite sufficient for ordinary life physics.