science

Micromodel

Micromodel is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Micromodel rather than just read about it. In short: Micromodels are a type of card model or paper model that was popular during the 1940s and 1950s in the United Kingdom. In 1941, Geoffrey Heighway invented and marketed a new concept in card models.

Key takeaways

Micromodel belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Micromodel to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Micromodel from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Micromodels are a type of card model or paper model that was popular during the 1940s and 1950s in the United Kingdom. In 1941, Geoffrey Heighway invented and marketed a new concept in card models. He took the available concept of card models and miniaturized them so that an entire train or building could be wrapped in a packet of post cards. These packets usually sold for about a shilling, or pocket change. When he released his product in the 1940s it caught on and Micro-modeling became a national pastime. The slogan "Your Workshop in a Cigar Box" is still widely quoted today among paper modelers. Their other slogan was: Three-Dimensional, Volumetric. During the war years, the models were especially popular as they were extremely portable and builders were able to work on them anywhere. Anecdotes say people liked them because they were small enough to take with you, so if you got stuck in a bomb shelter during an air raid, you had something interesting to do. Several of the railway Micromodels were distributed in Australia in the form of small stapled books, rather than individual postcards. The subjects of original Micromodels included among other things, Trains, Planes, Ships, Boats, Buildings, Cars and a Dragon. There were 82 original Micromodel Packets. From these packets one could make up 121 separate models. Micromodels also released some items including how-to booklets and powdered glue. Heighway continued to release models from 1941 until he became seriously ill in 1956. He died in 1959. There were several models that Heighway had mentioned in his catalogs and advertising, that for one reason or another were never released. These were known as the "Might have beens." Micromodels are considered collectable, and some rare originals can only be had for thousands of dollars. Others are more easily obtainable. There have been other products similar to or based on Micromodels, including Modelcraft Ltd. and a set of books based on enlargements of some of Heighway's Micromodels, finished by Myles Mandell. Several designers have released new Micromodel style models, including MicromodelsUSA.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Micromodel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Micromodel claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Micromodel before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Micromodel ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Micromodel

In research: Micromodel appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Micromodel in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Micromodel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Model manufacturers of the United Kingdom, Paper products, Scale modeling, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Micromodel outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Micromodel in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Micromodel means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Micromodel out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Micromodel in simple terms?

Micromodels are a type of card model or paper model that was popular during the 1940s and 1950s in the United Kingdom. In 1941, Geoffrey Heighway invented and marketed a new concept in card models.

Why does Micromodel matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Micromodel?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Micromodel.