Models

The link I found for this assignment delt with spacecraft. Apparently, Burt Rutan is designing a new spacecraft that will carry ordinary people (yes, just like you!) to the edge of space. Now, that phrasing kind of confused me. The edge of space....it sounds like a drop off, but I assume that there is a point where our atomsphere stops and space officially begins. Anyway, he unveiled a model of this new craft, called SpaceShipTwo. (Very creative huh?) So, when I found this article, one of the benefits of using models occured to me. By using a model you can show someone your plans and exactly how they will work and convince them to back you financially. They can also, as they did for Mr. Rutan, provide publicity for your new invention, which could help business by luring in customers. The second link I found for this assignment is more scientific. Just like we talked about in class, this article proposes that the tectonic plates move as a result of density. The model of this would be, of course, the lava lamp! As the stuff inside the lamp falls closer to the light bulb, it heats up and expands, which makes it less dense, so it rises, where it cools and contracts. The plates work in a similar fashion. The magma sinks closer to the core, where it heats up and expands, making it less dense, so it rises. This forms a circular motion, almost like a wheel, and so it slowly moves the tectonic plates. Now, if you didn't have a model for the motion of the tectonic plates, it would be a very big concept, and subsequently hard to grasp. However, if you can show the same concept using a model with a smaller, familiar object, the concept becomes much more accessible. Finally, a more personal one. I have trouble picturing how objects fit together in my head (ie building things; spacial sense) so making a model really helps me see if my idea is possible, and if so exactly how. That is, in my opinion, why models are necessary.