Too complex?

I see the trend, especially in the field of calculation, to put everything into a calculation model, only to be horrified to find out that the results are not available because the calculation takes years or that you have a result that is not plausible. Sometimes you can see that there is a problem, but since everything is in the computational model, hardware and software, you don't know what to do.

There are two mottos that have accompanied me my computational life. The first is:

• The best computational model is the simplest model that shows exactly why I started a computation.
• Make it simple, but not too simple

Both say roughly the same thing: Try to focus on the essentials and don't make it unnecessarily complicated. In the best case complexity only costs you time, in the worst case you can't make a statement.

If you are able to see the simple things, you can set up and evaluate the most complex models. When we put complete vehicles on our virtual test benches to make statements about whether the oil is cooled or whether there is a risk of a vehicle bursting into flames after coming to a standstill, we have complex models combined with complex physics. Even determining the oil distribution of a spinning twelve-speed transmission in a right-hand turn is complex physics with the most complex geometry.

We can calculate that and, more importantly, evaluate it. Because we are sure of the basics and have understood them.

Use our know-how for your tasks as well.