Drafting “What is a model?”

Goal

Create the first blog draft as an accessible introduction to models for a university STEM undergraduate.

Follow the site’s existing Jekyll draft format in _drafts/.
Explain models as purposeful simplifications and structured arguments, using examples from physics, weather, maps, and health.
Introduce assumptions, inputs, rules, outputs, uncertainty, verification, and validation without requiring advanced mathematics.
End with practical questions a reader can use to interrogate any model.
Cross-link the related podcast episode and keep the post unpublished in _drafts/.