A Change of Perspective Yields Formal Analysis

In this paper we argue that a judicious use of models in science and engineering can considerably simplify the design and analysis of complex dynamic systems. To substantiate this claim, we first review the mathematical form and the role played by models in science and engineering, respectively. We then show that a change in perspective on the purpose of models in the analysis of cardiac tissue, allowed us to derive for the first time, in an automatic fashion, the parameter-ranges distinguishing between normal and abnormal behavior in cardiac cells.