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13.5: Modeling Assumptions

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    142485

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    14.5 Modeling Assumptions and Transparency

    Every model in this book made assumptions: static loading, ideal resistors, axial-only stress, nominal geometry. Assumptions are necessary — models cannot be complete. The ethical obligation is not to eliminate assumptions but to state them visibly.

    An assumption that is documented can be checked, challenged, and planned around. An assumption that is hidden allows a model to appear more rigorous than it is — and allows it to be used in contexts where it does not apply, with the engineer who hid the scope limitation bearing responsibility for how it is misused.

    This is why the limitation statements from Chapter 13 are ethical requirements, not stylistic suggestions.


    This page titled 13.5: Modeling Assumptions was last modified on Thu, 24 Sep 2026 17:38:45 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by .

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