The Mathematics of Modeling How do you make sense of something you'll never be able to see? One technique is to use a mathematical model. The model is designed to behave in the same way as the original. Therefore you can make predictions based on how the model performs. To work with a model, you must: gather data, summarize in mathematical form, test to determine if the model makes sense, make predictions about objects of interest, and check to see if predictions are plausible. In the 1970s, Alexander took data from running tracks of different animals and analyzed it until a pattern emerged. In simplest form, the velocity of the animal is approximated by: Alexander Formula Method Poster Requirements