Physical modeling refers to the design and implementation of systems that are based on or derived from physical phenoma.
A physical model may be developed from a rigorous mathematical analysis of a system, whereby mathematical expressions are derived, discretized, and then implemented with signal processing techniques.
As well, a physical model may be designed to “mimic” a system's physical behavior without attempting to derive and/or implement equations that accurately reproduce its detailed vibrational properties (i.e., “physically-informed” and modal synthesis models).