We claim that adjustable parameters play a crucial role in building and applying simulation models. We analyze that role and illustrate our findings using examples from equations of state in thermodynamics. In building simulation models, two types of experiments, namely, simulation and classical experiments, interact in a feedback loop, in which model parameters are adjusted. A critical discussion of how adjustable parameters function shows that they are boon and bane of simulation. They help to enlarge the scope of simulation far beyond what can be determined by theoretical knowledge, but at the same time undercut the epistemic value of simulation models.
CITATION STYLE
Hasse, H., & Lenhard, J. (2017). Boon and Bane: On the Role of Adjustable Parameters in Simulation Models. In Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science (Vol. 327, pp. 93–115). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54469-4_6
Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.