Developing a Mathematical Model

Albert Einstein, perhaps one of the most well-known scientists of the Twentieth century, developed a mathematical model in the form of

However, before his idea that an objects' energy and mass are related could be accepted, it first needed to be experimentally verified. In other words, scientists had to independently verify whether Einstein's mathematical model provided an accurate representation of reality. Even though Einstein developed his famous formula in 1905, it wasn't experimentally verified until 1930.

Statistics plays a huge role in verifying how well someones mathematical model matches up with the real world. By making predictions, gathering data, and then analyzing the data, it is possible to say whether or not a mathematical model is a good representation of reality.