Contents
Planning the Model
Building Objects and Variables
Building Relationships
Testing the Model
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Planning the Model

The first stage in using Model-It involves planning. To build a model, you must identify three aspects: objects, variables and relationships. You must know enough about the subject to identify the things that are involved in the processes in nature (objects), the measurable characteristics of these things (variables) and the observable or causal links between these variables (relationships). Whether you are modeling the relationships that impact air quality or the causal factors that contribute to unemployment in society, you need these three aspects. So before you start Model-It, you should probably make some planning decisions on paper (although with experience, paper plans may no longer be necessary). You should think about the following: what should the model describe, what are the objects and variables involved, and what are the relationships.