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System Dynamics: Engineering Roots of Model Validation

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  • First Online:
System Dynamics

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science Series ((ECSSS))

  • Originally published in

Glossary

Engineering:

The activity of designing and creating artifacts for improving a situation

Model:

An abstract or concrete artifact that is analog of another entity

Model Validity:

Judgment that determines whether a model fulfills the function for which it was created

Definition of the Subject

Engineering key elements that are present in System Dynamics (SD) give criteria for informing methodological questions. A good example is the issue of model validity. SD models are artifacts that can serve diverse purposes other than scientific goals. Hence, their validity rests on their effectiveness for accomplishing a specific purpose regardless of any type of justification, be it scientific or of other kind. However, the scope of that statement can be hard to appreciate. The belief that SD models are (or should be) scientific models is a popular one, and it is commonly used as the basis for developing and assessing models. However, this is not necessarily true. This entry underscores the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia

    Camilo Olaya

Authors
  1. Camilo Olaya
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Correspondence to Camilo Olaya .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    Brian Dangerfield

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Olaya, C. (2020). System Dynamics: Engineering Roots of Model Validation. In: Dangerfield, B. (eds) System Dynamics. Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8790-0_544

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