The structure responsible for rabbit population growth.

The interaction of a population of Moose and Wolves.

When endeavoring to develop an understanding of the nature of something it is generally useful to create a model of some type to aid in surfacing that understanding.

When endeavoring to develop an understanding of the nature of something it is generally useful to create a model of some type to aid in surfacing that understanding.

If we pay close attention to our actions and the typical outcomes of those actions it would be evident that there are frequently occurring patterns that develop. And there is a relation between the patterns.

The model construction process is actually a balancing loop which endeavors to employ an abstract version of real events to form a model which produces conclusions and behavior which mimic the real events.

All the following have a common characteristic.

The model construction process is actually a balancing loop with endeavors to employ an abstract version of real events to form a model which produces conclusions and behavior which mimic the real events.

There are about fifteen known archetypes with an interesting set of relationships among them.

There is a new version of this model at

Frequently Recurring Structures

The interaction of a population of Moose and Wolves.

The purpose of this model is to have the user change the value of stocks, flows and converters to experience a variety of different graphical results. Understanding this generic model is important pre-requisite to learning about intravenous drugs in the body, radioactivity, self-esteem, water flowing from a drain and many other basic natural systems.

All you wanted to do was put a bird feeder in your yard to attract birds and make for a more pleasant morning. And...

Little Red Riding Hood walking through the woods to Grandma's house. How long will it take?

The interaction of a population of Moose and Wolves.

Consider the following "Sustaining the Forest" model intended to provide another example of how unexpected the behavior of a web of extended interactions can be.

Little Red Riding Hood walking through the woods to Grandma's house. How long will it take?

There are limits to what one can infer from a qualitative model.

The interaction of a population of Moose and Wolves.

When one undertakes to create a model there are a number of guidelines that are considered essential for consideration if there is to be a success with the model.

Consider the following "Sustaining the Forest" model intended to provide another example of how unexpected the behavior of a web of extended interactions can be.

All the following have a common characteristic.

Introduce the concept of modeling and simulation.

Consider the following "Sustaining the Forest" model intended to provide another example of how unexpected the behavior of a web of extended interactions can be.