What sort of objects scientists use as models has important repercussions for how models perform relevant functions such as representation and explanation

What are models? That is, what kind of object are scientists dealing with when they work with a model? A number of authors have voiced skepticism that this question has a meaningful answer, because models do not belong to a distinctive ontological category and anything can be a model (Callender and Cohen 2006; Giere 2010; Suárez 2004; Swoyer 1991; Teller 2001). Contessa (2010) replies that this is a non sequitur. Even if, from an ontological point of view, anything can be a model and the class o