: Removing irrelevant details to focus on the governing mechanisms of a system.

: Defining the specific question or behavior to be understood.

: Modeling strategic interactions between competing agents. Evaluation Criteria A "good" model is judged by three main factors: 📍 Accuracy : How closely it mirrors observed data.

: Explicitly stating the "rules" and "limitations" under which the model operates.

: Running thousands of "what-if" scenarios to find a probability distribution. Optimization Models

: Used for discrete steps (e.g., annual population growth). Stochastic Models

: Its ability to remain valid even if minor assumptions are changed.