“The fascinating impressiveness of rigorous mathematical analysis, with its atmosphere of precision and elegance, should not blind us to the defects of the premise that condition the whole process” by T. C. Chamberlin,1 commenting on Lord Kelvin's (ultimately incorrect) calculation of the age of the Earth.

In pedology, and in other sciences, “models” are increasingly used as tools for understanding natural phenomena. But what is a model, how are models used in pedology, and how are models developed and modified?