The World in the Model


Book Description

During the last two centuries, the way economic science is done has changed radically: it has become a social science based on mathematical models in place of words. This book describes and analyses that change - both historically and philosophically - using a series of case studies to illuminate the nature and the implications of these changes. It is not a technical book; it is written for the intelligent person who wants to understand how economics works from the inside out. This book will be of interest to economists and science studies scholars (historians, sociologists and philosophers of science). But it also aims at a wider readership in the public intellectual sphere, building on the current interest in all things economic and on the recent failure of the so-called economic model, which has shaped our beliefs and the world we live in.




Stats: Data and Models, Global Edition


Book Description

Richard De Veaux, Paul Velleman, and David Bock wrote Stats: Data and Models with the goal that students and instructors have as much fun reading it as they did writing it. Maintaining a conversational, humorous, and informal writing style, this new edition engages students from the first page. The authors focus on statistical thinking throughout the text and rely on technology for calculations. As a result, students can focus on developing their conceptual understanding. Innovative Think/Show/Tell examples give students a problem-solving framework and, more importantly, a way to think through any statistics problem and present their results. The full text downloaded to your computer With eBooks you can: search for key concepts, words and phrases make highlights and notes as you study share your notes with friends eBooks are downloaded to your computer and accessible either offline through the Bookshelf (available as a free download), available online and also via the iPad and Android apps. Upon purchase, you'll gain instant access to this eBook. Time limit The eBooks products do not have an expiry date. You will continue to access your digital ebook products whilst you have your Bookshelf installed.




Modelling our Changing World


Book Description

This open access book focuses on the concepts, tools and techniques needed to successfully model ever-changing time-series data. It emphasizes the need for general models to account for the complexities of the modern world and how these can be applied to a range of issues facing Earth, from modelling volcanic eruptions, carbon dioxide emissions and global temperatures, to modelling unemployment rates, wage inflation and population growth. Except where otherwise noted, this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.




Models and World Making


Book Description

From climate change forecasts and pandemic maps to Lego sets and Ancestry algorithms, models encompass our world and our lives. In her thought-provoking new book, Annabel Wharton begins with a definition drawn from the quantitative sciences and the philosophy of science but holds that history and critical cultural theory are essential to a fuller understanding of modeling. Considering changes in the medical body model and the architectural model, from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century, Wharton demonstrates the ways in which all models are historical and political. Examining how cadavers have been described, exhibited, and visually rendered, she highlights the historical dimension of the modified body and its depictions. Analyzing the varied reworkings of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem—including by monumental commanderies of the Knights Templar, Alberti’s Rucellai Tomb in Florence, Franciscans’ olive wood replicas, and video game renderings—she foregrounds the political force of architectural representations. And considering black boxes—instruments whose inputs we control and whose outputs we interpret, but whose inner workings are beyond our comprehension—she surveys the threats posed by such opaque computational models, warning of the dangers that models pose when humans lose control of the means by which they are generated and understood. Engaging and wide-ranging, Models and World Making conjures new ways of seeing and critically evaluating how we make and remake the world in which we live.




Warming the World


Book Description

This book presents in detail a pair of models of the economics of climate change. The models, called RICE-99 (for the Regional Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy) and DICE-99 (for the Dynamic Integrated Model of Climate and the Economy) build on the authors' earlier work, particularly their RICE and DICE models of the early 1990s. Humanity is risking the health of the natural environment through a myriad of interventions, including the atmospheric emission of trace gases such as carbon dioxide, the use of ozone-depleting chemicals, the engineering of massive land-use changes, and the destruction of the habitats of many species. It is imperative that we learn to protect our common geophysical and biological resources. Although scientists have studied greenhouse warming for decades, it is only recently that society has begun to consider the economic, political, and institutional aspects of environmental intervention. To do so raises formidable challenges of data modeling, uncertainty, international coordination, and institutional design. Attempts to deal with complex scientific and economic issues have increasingly involved the use of models to help analysts and decision makers understand likely future outcomes as well as the implications of alternative policies. This book presents in detail a pair of models of the economics of climate change. The models, called RICE-99 (for the Regional Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy) and DICE-99 (for the Dynamic Integrated Model of Climate and the Economy) build on the authors' earlier work, particularly their RICE and DICE models of the early 1990s. They can help policy makers design better economic and environmental policies.




Modelling World Englishes


Book Description

This book brings together two types of varieties of English that have so far been treated separately: postcolonial and non-postcolonial Englishes. It examines these varieties of English against the backdrop of current World Englishes theory, with a special focus on the extra- and Intra-Territorial Forces (EIF) Model. Bringing together a range of distinguished researchers in the field, each chapter tests the validity of this new model, analyses a different variety of English and assesses it in relation to current models of World Englishes. In doing so, the book ends the long-standing conceptual gap between postcolonial and non-postcolonial Englishes and integrates these in a unified framework of World Englishes. Case studies examine English(es) in England, Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Australia, North America, the Bahamans, Trinidad, Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena, Bermuda, and the Falkland Islands, Ireland, Gibraltar and Ghana.




The Model's Guide


Book Description

Professional modelling is one of the world's most competitive, challenging and changeable industries, and it can be a daunting business for any new or aspiring model to face without guidance. The Model's Guide is a fully comprehensive handbook, written by a professional model with more than ten years' industry experience, which tells everything you need to know in order to enter and succeed in the world of modelling. The book is full of insider tips, stories and anecdotes from the lives of working models, photographers and industry professionals. There is comprehensive advice on how to find an agency, how to get work, and how to promote yourself as a freelance model. The book outlines the various different types of modelling, techniques on how to walk, dress, pose and act on shoots, how to prepare for castings and shoots, general wellbeing and beauty advice, and invaluable advice on how to avoid modelling scams. The Model's Guide captures the nature of the modelling industry and the life of an average model in a way that has never been done before.




Simulation and Similarity


Book Description

This book is an account of modeling and idealization in modern scientific practice, focusing on concrete, mathematical, and computational models. The main topics of this book are the nature of models, the practice of modeling, and the nature of the relationship between models and real-world phenomena. In order to elucidate the model/world relationship, Weisberg develops a novel account of similarity called weighted feature matching.




Domain Modeling Made Functional


Book Description

You want increased customer satisfaction, faster development cycles, and less wasted work. Domain-driven design (DDD) combined with functional programming is the innovative combo that will get you there. In this pragmatic, down-to-earth guide, you'll see how applying the core principles of functional programming can result in software designs that model real-world requirements both elegantly and concisely - often more so than an object-oriented approach. Practical examples in the open-source F# functional language, and examples from familiar business domains, show you how to apply these techniques to build software that is business-focused, flexible, and high quality. Domain-driven design is a well-established approach to designing software that ensures that domain experts and developers work together effectively to create high-quality software. This book is the first to combine DDD with techniques from statically typed functional programming. This book is perfect for newcomers to DDD or functional programming - all the techniques you need will be introduced and explained. Model a complex domain accurately using the F# type system, creating compilable code that is also readable documentation---ensuring that the code and design never get out of sync. Encode business rules in the design so that you have "compile-time unit tests," and eliminate many potential bugs by making illegal states unrepresentable. Assemble a series of small, testable functions into a complete use case, and compose these individual scenarios into a large-scale design. Discover why the combination of functional programming and DDD leads naturally to service-oriented and hexagonal architectures. Finally, create a functional domain model that works with traditional databases, NoSQL, and event stores, and safely expose your domain via a website or API. Solve real problems by focusing on real-world requirements for your software. What You Need: The code in this book is designed to be run interactively on Windows, Mac and Linux.You will need a recent version of F# (4.0 or greater), and the appropriate .NET runtime for your platform.Full installation instructions for all platforms at fsharp.org.




A World-class Education


Book Description

Designed to promote conversation about how to educate students for a rapidly changing, innovation-based world, this comprehensive and illuminating book from international education expert Vivien Stewart focuses on understanding what the world's best school systems are doing right for the purpose of identifying what U.S. schools--at the national, state, and local level--might do differently and better.