Toy model

In physics, a toy model is a simplified set of objects and equations relating them that can nevertheless be used to understand a mechanism that is also useful in the full, non-simplified theory.

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• In "toy" mathematical models, this is usually done by reducing the number of dimensions or reducing the number of fields/variables or restricting them to a particular symmetric form.
• In "toy" physical descriptions, an everyday example of an analogous mechanism is often used to illustrate an effect in order to make the phenomenology easier to visualise.

Some examples of "toy models" in physics might be: orbital mechanics described by assuming that the Earth is attached to the Sun by a large elastic band; Hawking radiation around a black hole described as conventional radiation from a ficticious membrane at radius r=2M (the black hole membrane paradigm); frame-dragging around a rotating star considered as the effect space being a conventional "draggable" fluid.

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The phrase "Tinker-toy model" is also sometimes used in this context, and refers to a particular children's construction toy that allows objects to be built easily but somewhat unrealistically.

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See also toy theorem.

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Hawking radiation: In physics, Hawking radiation is thermal radiation thought to be emitted by black holes due to quantum effects. It is named after British physicist Stephen Hawking who worked out the theoretical argument for its existence in 1974. Hawking's discovery became the first convincing insight in quantum ...

Black hole: :This article is about an object in astrophysics. For other uses, see Black hole (disambiguation)....

R=2M: redirectSchwarzschild radius...

Toy model related Images and Photos (experimental)

Model A 1929	Toy Story	Toy Parade	Top Model
Ford Model T	Toy Story 2	Toy Story 3	Toy Story 3
Ford Model T Model Kit	Model Naomi Campbell	Model Elle Macpherson	Zebra Toy