Analogiamallinnus

Analogiamallinnus refers to the practice of representing a real system by continuous, analogous constructs in order to study its behavior. It emphasizes time-continuous dynamics and proportional relationships and is used in Finnish engineering and science contexts to describe both physical analog models and mathematical analogs of a system.

Methods and forms include physical analog models, where electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical networks are built to emulate inertia, damping, stiffness, or other dynamics. For example, resistors and capacitors in an electrical circuit can model mechanical mass and spring elements, enabling real-time experimentation. Mathematical analogs use differential equations, state-space representations, or bond graphs to preserve the causal structure of the system and to study responses without relying on discrete event simulations.

Applications span control engineering, process industries, automotive dynamics, energy systems, robotics, and educational settings. Analog models can serve for rapid prototyping, hardware-in-the-loop testing, or intuitive visualization of system behavior before more detailed digital simulations or physical implementations are attempted.

Historically, analogomallinnus emerged with analog computers and physical simulators in the mid-20th century and played a major role in early control design. With the rise of digital simulation, its use shifted toward real-time testing, hardware emulation, and teaching, though it remains valuable where continuous-time intuition and immediate physical feedback are advantageous.

Related concepts include digital simulations, system dynamics, and bond-graph methods, which complement analog modeling by offering alternative representations and computational tools.