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petergreat
- 267
- 4
It surprises me how much mathematics is needed to solve the innocent-looking 2D Ising model, and the Heisenberg model is quite an exercise even in 1D. I begin to doubt whether solving these models is really worth the effort, given that these systems don't look very realistic, and computer simulations give you answers much more quickly. Some calculations are useful due to universality, but others are not. So what's your opinion regarding whether solvable models of statistical mechanics are important to understanding real-world physics?