We examine the interrelationships between analog computational modelling and analogue (physical) modelling. To this end, we attempt a regimentation of the informal distinction between analog and digital, which turns on the consideration of computing in a broader context. We argue that in doing so, one comes to see that (scientific) computation is better conceptualised as an epistemic process relative to agents, wherein representations play a key role. We distinguish between two, conceptually distinct, kinds of representation that, we argue, are both involved in each case of computing. Based on the semantic and syntactic properties of each of these representations, we put forward a new account of the distinction between analog and digital computing. We discuss how the developed account is able to explain various properties of different models of computation, and we conceptually compare analog computational modelling to analogue (scale) modelling. It is concluded that, contrary to the standard view, the two practices are orthogonal, differing both in their foundations and in the epistemic functions they fulfil.

我们研究了模拟计算建模与模拟（物理）建模之间的相互关系。为此，我们尝试对模拟和数字之间的非正式区别进行分类，从而在更广泛的范围内考虑计算。我们认为，这样做的结果是，人们可以更好地将（科学的）计算概念化为相对于主体的认知过程，其中表征起着关键作用。我们区分两种我们在每种计算情况下都涉及的概念上不同的表示形式。基于这些表示形式的语义和句法属性，我们对模拟计算和数字计算之间的区别提出了新的解释。我们讨论开发的帐户如何能够解释不同计算模型的各种属性，并在概念上将模拟计算模型与模拟（比例）模型进行比较。结论是，与标准观点相反，这两种做法是正交的，它们的基础和实现的认识功能不同。