Network thermodynamics revisited

Modeling provides a bridge between the natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, and the like) and the axiomatic sciences (mathematics and statistics). Inductively-derived descriptive models map observations of physical processes into mathematical descriptions that can be treated as axioms (e.g., the various laws of physics). A synthetic model combines descriptive models of several physical processes with a structural model (representing the interactions of those processes) for the purpose of deducing or predicting the consequences of interactions. When applied together with elementary thermodynamic principles, circuit theory provides an excellent framework for synthetic modeling.