
8 n The Art of Software Modeling
Golden Rule of Modeling—A model shall be as complex as necessary;
no more or less
Models may be considered “good” if they are suitable for their purpose. For
example, a model of a jet plane with a scale of 1:1 (where one unit of measure on
the model is equal to the same unit in real life, such as 1 inch:1 inch) may be exactly
right for simulating the result of a crash, but is not very well suited to hang from the
ceiling of my son’s bedroom. So, for any system of sufficient size, the rule of thumb
is that for anything too complex to entirely encompass in one’s mind, it is necessary
to sacrifice some accuracy in ...