CHAPTER 6

6.2:
MODELLING
A P P L I C AT I O N S

Ms. Masarrah
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Define the real-life situations that being modelled:

(Personal finance;
Bridge and building design;
Flood Water Management,
Traffic Management;
Weather Forecasting)
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using computer
modelling
 MODELLING APPLICATIONS
• Computer Modelling: Uses mathematical formulae to describe actual, real-life situations.
• Reason:
1) To test situations without risking anybody.
2) To test the situation’s feasibility without spending large sums of money.
• Modelling software: programs used to create computer models.

REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS MODELLED

Bridge and
Personal Flood Water
Building
Finance Management
Design

Traffic Weather
Management Forecasting
Personal Finance
• Creating a plan to manage a person’s budget.
• For example: it can show expected regular income and expenditure
throughout the year (rent, food shopping, etc.)
• Allow user to see what would happen if they changed something.

Bridge and Building Design

• A computer model or simulation can be used to test the designs of
bridges and buildings before they are built.
• Have to be able to survive in weather conditions and the model
can be used to test what happens under very extreme weather
conditions (storms).
Flood Water Management
• Provide predictions of the extent and depth of flooding and can
be used in the development of accurate hazard maps of a region.
• Used produce maps of flood and coastal risk.
• Used to design schemes to manage flood risk.
Traffic Management
• Directing vehicles and pedestrians along certain routes to ensure
optimal traffic flow with minimum traffic jams.
• Allow users to investigate the effects of building new roads,
making more streets for pedestrian only or allowing only one-
way traffic.
Weather Forecasting
• Predicting weather conditions over the next few days.
• Involves using detailed model of the atmosphere to try to predict
the weather will be during next weeks, or months.
• The data need in the model include:
• how the air moves
• air pressure,
• wind strength
• Temperature
• moisture
1) Safety: avoid risk or construction accidents

2) Less expensive as new products can be tested

without humans having to build physical
prototypes.
3) More situations can be tested (dangerous
situations) ADVANTAGES
4) Faster results. Much quicker to work out very
complicated math equations.

5) Reduces the time, materials and costs of

making an error, or if the building not to the
customer’s specification.
1) The situations may be too complex to model
successfully.

2) It may be difficult to identify all of the rules

correctly.

3) Reality may turn out unexpectedly different

DISADVANTAGES
4) Expensive to set up the model.

5) Human programmers may make errors in

inputting information, so the digital model may
be inaccurate
W H AT Q U E S T I O N S W O U L D
YOU LIKE TO ASK ME?
 OPEN

CLASSWORK 6.2