ABSTRACT

Numerical modelling consists of simulating with informatic technologies the conditions of experiments that would require big resources in terms of time and costs. For example, structural engineering considers numerical models of structures because otherwise it would be too expensive to build and destroy a building to study its behaviour under collapse conditions. In this regard, numerical modelling has become a valid alternative to physical experiments since they fall within the scientific method as they need validation that consists in discarding models when the results are not considered reliable. The criterion of falsification is therefore the basis of the selection process not of the ‘most truthful’ model, but of the ‘model least’, that is, less affected by errors. The paper discusses the sources of errors at the base of numerical models by proposing the importance of validation as the application of the falsification method proposed by Karl Popper.

摘要

数值建模包括利用信息技术模拟实验条件，这需要大量的时间和成本资源。例如，结构工程考虑结构的数值模型，因为否则建造和摧毁建筑物以研究其在倒塌条件下的行为的成本太高。在这方面，数值建模已成为物理实验的有效替代方案，因为它们属于科学方法，因为它们需要验证，即当结果被认为不可靠时丢弃模型。因此，证伪标准不是“最真实”模型选择过程的基础，而是“最小模型”（即受错误影响较小）的选择过程的基础。