Conceptual strategies and inter-theory relations: The case of nanoscale cracks

Reckoning with Continuum Idealizations: Some Lessons from Soil Hydrology

“…And so the correct attitude towards making the indispensability of continuum idealizations dependent upon inter-theoretic reduction would seem to be a deflationary one. This proposal echoes the similar deflationary tone adopted more recently about the indispensability of continuum models (Green and Batterman 2017;Wilson 2017;Bursten 2018;Batterman and Green 2020).…”

“…• Material physicists treat hunks of steel as continuous blobs, thus enabling a more surgical assessment of the material's deformation (Batterman 2013;Wilson 2017). Additionally, material physicists model the microstructure of silicon as a continuum at higher scales in order to simulate and observe the propagation of nanoscale cracks in this material (Winsberg 2006(Winsberg , 2010Bursten 2018).…”

“…• Material physicists treat hunks of steel as continuous blobs, thus enabling a more surgical assessment of the material's deformation (Batterman 2013;Wilson 2017). Additionally, material physicists model the microstructure of silicon as a continuum at higher scales in order to simulate and observe the propagation of nanoscale cracks in this material (Winsberg 2006(Winsberg , 2010Bursten 2018). • Meteorologists characterize the mid-level atmosphere as a continuous fluid, paving the way for usage of the Navier-Stokes equations to calculate vorticity and cyclonic activity (Martin 2006).…”

The Function of Boundary Conditions in the Physical Sciences

“…How information can be transmitted across multiple models in a multi-model explanation is a subject of significant recent philosophical interest, particularly as it pertains to the construction of multiscale models (e.g. as in Winsberg 2010;Green and Batterman 2017;Bursten 2018;Jhun, Forthcoming). In a recent article on multiscale modeling, for instance, I argued that the use of a multiscale D R A F T model is only justified to the extent that the "conceptual strategies" connecting the component models in the multiscale model are justified (Bursten 2018).…”

“…as in Winsberg 2010;Green and Batterman 2017;Bursten 2018;Jhun, Forthcoming). In a recent article on multiscale modeling, for instance, I argued that the use of a multiscale D R A F T model is only justified to the extent that the "conceptual strategies" connecting the component models in the multiscale model are justified (Bursten 2018). These strategies draw on a combination of mathematical, theoretical, and empirical background information to rationalize a particular way of stitching multiple component models together.…”