The purpose of model building is to explain, predict or control a system.
Aerospace engineers build wind tunnels to study the strength of wings on aircraft.
The model simulates the important features of the real-world counterpart. Businesses use probability models for forecasting and inventory control, and to maintain and improve the quality of products. They use deterministic models to optimize the way they produce products and perform routine operations. The research and instruction in the Department of Decision Sciences is both applied and theoretical. These courses include statistical and research methods, optimization techniques and simulation.