Model vs. Picture: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on October 5, 2023
Model is a three-dimensional representation of a thing or concept; a picture is a two-dimensional representation of visible objects.
Key Differences
A model is typically a three-dimensional representation of a structure or concept, intended to showcase an idea or a design, allowing for a detailed and tangible overview. Picture, on the other hand, is a two-dimensional image capturing a scene, object, or person, providing a visual representation of a moment in time.
While models are instrumental in fields like architecture and science to present detailed and scalable structures of buildings or molecules, pictures are universal, immortalizing moments, landscapes, and portraits, often evoking emotions and memories.
Models can also be abstract representations or mathematical formulations describing systems or relationships. In contrast, pictures primarily represent visual realities, though they can be manipulated to express artistic interpretations or illusions.
In the realm of computing, a model can refer to a simulation or a structured framework describing a complex system or a process, while a picture can be a digital image or a graphic, displaying visual information on screens.
Additionally, the term model can refer to a person who poses for art, particularly fashion, symbolizing an aesthetic or a style, whereas a picture remains a snapshot, a visual record of scenes and entities.
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Comparison Chart
Representation
Three-dimensional or abstract representation
Two-dimensional representation
Purpose
To illustrate concepts, designs, or relationships
To capture and display visual information
Usage
In design, science, and simulations
In art, photography, and general visual media
Form
Can be tangible, mathematical, or simulated
Generally visual and static
Dimensionality
Usually three-dimensional or abstract
Two-dimensional
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Model and Picture Definitions
Model
A simplified description of a system to aid in understanding.
Scientists use climate models to predict future environmental changes.
Picture
A graphic or image displayed on a screen.
The computer program generates a picture based on the data provided.
Model
A person employed to display products, especially fashion.
The model showcased the latest designs on the runway.
Picture
A visual representation or image painted, drawn, photographed, or otherwise rendered on a flat surface.
Model
A simulation representing real-world scenarios.
The economist ran a model to forecast the economic growth.
Picture
A visible image, especially one on a flat surface or screen
The picture reflected in the lake.
Focused the picture on the movie screen.
Model
A small object, usually built to scale, that represents in detail another, often larger object.
Picture
A vivid or realistic verbal description
A Shakespearean picture of guilt.
Model
A preliminary work or construction that serves as a plan from which a final product is to be made
A clay model ready for casting.
Picture
A vivid mental image.
Model
Such a work or construction used in testing or perfecting a final product
A test model of a solar-powered vehicle.
Picture
A person or object bearing a marked resemblance to another
She's the picture of her mother.
Model
A schematic description or representation of something, especially a system or phenomenon, that accounts for its properties and is used to study its characteristics
A model of generative grammar.
A model of an atom.
An economic model.
Picture
A person, object, or scene that typifies or embodies an emotion, state of mind, or mood
Your face was the very picture of horror.
Model
A style or design of an item
My car is last year's model.
Picture
The chief circumstances of an event or time; the situation
How does the new boyfriend figure in the picture?.
Model
One serving as an example to be imitated or compared
A model of decorum.
Picture
A movie.
Model
One that serves as the subject for an artist, especially a person employed to pose for a painter, sculptor, or photographer.
Picture
A tableau vivant.
Model
One that serves as the basis for a fictional character or place.
Picture
To make a visible representation of
In this photo, the mayor is pictured with several aides.
Model
A person employed to display merchandise, such as clothing or cosmetics.
Picture
To form a mental image of; visualize
I pictured my grandfather as a young man coming to America.
Model
(Zoology) An animal whose appearance is copied by a mimic.
Picture
To describe vividly in words; make a verbal picture of
Pictured their heroism in glowing language.
Model
Being, serving as, or used as a model.
Picture
A representation of anything (as a person, a landscape, a building) upon canvas, paper, or other surface, by drawing, painting, printing, photography, etc.
Model
Worthy of imitation
A model child.
Picture
An image; a representation as in the imagination.
Model
To make or construct a descriptive or representational model of
Computer programs that model climate change.
Picture
A painting.
There was a picture hanging above the fireplace.
Model
To plan, construct, or fashion in imitation of a model
Modeled his legal career after that of his mentor.
Picture
A photograph.
I took a picture of the church.
Model
To make by shaping a plastic substance
Modeled a bust from clay.
Picture
A motion picture.
Casablanca is my all-time favorite picture.
Model
To form (clay, for example) into a shape.
Picture
Cinema as a form of entertainment.
Let's go to the pictures.
Model
To display by wearing or posing in
Model clothes.
Picture
A paragon, a perfect example or specimen (of a category).
She's the very picture of health.
Model
In painting, drawing, and photography, to give a three-dimensional appearance to, as by shading or highlighting.
Picture
An attractive sight.
The garden is a real picture at this time of year.
Model
To exhibit (a behavior) in such a way as to promote the establishment of similar patterns of behavior in another
The therapist modeled socially appropriate conversation.
Picture
The art of painting; representation by painting.
Model
To repeat (a behavior observed in another)
The child was modeling her mother's nurturing behavior.
Picture
A figure; a model.
Model
To make a model.
Picture
Situation.
The employment picture for the older middle class is not so good.
You can't just look at the election, you've got to look at the big picture.
Model
To work or serve as a model, as in wearing clothes for display or serving as the subject of an artist.
Picture
(MLE) A sample of an illegal drug.
If you want me to buy your weed I’ll need a picture.
Model
A person who serves as a subject for artwork or fashion, usually in the medium of photography but also for painting or drawing.
The beautiful model had her face on the cover of almost every fashion magazine imaginable.
Picture
(programming) A format string in the COBOL programming language.
Model
A person, usually an attractive male or female that is hired to show items or goods to the public, such as items that are given away as prizes on a TV game show.
Picture
(transitive) To represent in or with a picture.
Model
A representation of a physical object, usually in miniature.
The boy played with a model of a World War II fighter plane.
Picture
(transitive) To imagine or envision.
Model
A simplified representation used to explain the workings of a real world system or event.
The computer weather model did not correctly predict the path of the hurricane.
Picture
(transitive) To depict or describe vividly.
Model
A style, type, or design.
He decided to buy the turbo engine model of the sports car.
This year's model features four doors instead of two.
Picture
The art of painting; representation by painting.
Any well-expressed image . . . either in picture or sculpture.
Model
The structural design of a complex system.
The team developed a sound business model.
Picture
A representation of anything (as a person, a landscape, a building) upon canvas, paper, or other surface, produced by means of painting, drawing, engraving, photography, etc.; a representation in colors. By extension, a figure; a model.
Pictures and shapes are but secondary objects.
The young king's picture . . . in virgin wax.
Model
A successful example to be copied, with or without modifications.
He was a model of eloquence and virtue.
British parliamentary democracy was seen as a model for other countries to follow.
Picture
An image or resemblance; a representation, either to the eye or to the mind; that which, by its likeness, brings vividly to mind some other thing; as, a child is the picture of his father; the man is the picture of grief.
My eyes make pictures when they are shut.
Model
(logic) An interpretation function which assigns a truth value to each atomic proposition.
Picture
To draw or paint a resemblance of; to delineate; to represent; to form or present an ideal likeness of; to bring before the mind.
I have not seen him so pictured.
Model
(logic) An interpretation which makes a set of sentences true, in which case that interpretation is called a model of that set.
Picture
A visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface;
They showed us the pictures of their wedding
A movie is a series of images projected so rapidly that the eye integrates them
Model
(medicine) An animal that is used to study a human disease or pathology.
Picture
Graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface;
A small painting by Picasso
He bought the painting as an investment
His pictures hang in the Louvre
Model
Any copy, or resemblance, more or less exact.
Picture
A clear and telling mental image;
He described his mental picture of his assailant
He had no clear picture of himself or his world
The events left a permanent impression in his mind
Model
(software architecture) In software applications using the model-view-controller design pattern, the part or parts of the application that manage the data.
Picture
A situation treated as an observable object;
The political picture is favorable
The religious scene in England has changed in the last century
Model
Worthy of being a model; exemplary.
Picture
Illustrations used to decorate or explain a text;
The dictionary had many pictures
Model
(transitive) to display for others to see, especially in regard to wearing clothing while performing the role of a fashion model
She modelled the shoes for her friends to see.
Picture
A form of entertainment that enacts a story by a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement;
They went to a movie every Saturday night
The film was shot on location
Model
(transitive) to use as an object in the creation of a forecast or model
They modelled the data with a computer to analyze the experiment’s results.
Picture
The visible part of a television transmission;
They could still receive the sound but the picture was gone
Model
(transitive) to make a miniature model of
He takes great pride in his skill at modeling airplanes.
Picture
A graphic or vivid verbal description;
Too often the narrative was interrupted by long word pictures
The author gives a depressing picture of life in Poland
The pamphlet contained brief characterizations of famous Vermonters
Model
(transitive) to create from a substance such as clay
The sculptor modelled the clay into the form of a dolphin.
Picture
A typical example of some state or quality;
The very picture of a modern general
She was the picture of despair
Model
(intransitive) to make a model or models
Picture
Imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind;
I can't see him on horseback!
I can see what will happen
I can see a risk in this strategy
Model
(intransitive) to work as a model in art or fashion
The actress used to model before being discovered by Hollywood.
Picture
Show in, or as in, a picture;
This scene depicts country life
The face of the child is rendered with much tenderness in this painting
Model
A miniature representation of a thing, with the several parts in due proportion; sometimes, a facsimile of the same size; as, a
In charts, in maps, and eke in models made.
I had my father's signet in my purse,Which was the model of that Danish seal.
You have the models of several ancient temples, though the temples and the gods are perished.
Picture
A visual representation captured by a camera.
She took a picture of the breathtaking sunset.
Model
Something intended to serve, or that may serve, as a pattern of something to be made; a material representation or embodiment of an ideal; sometimes, a drawing; a plan; as, the clay model of a sculpture; the inventor's model of a machine.
[The application for a patent] must be accompanied by a full description of the invention, with drawings and a model where the case admits of it.
When we mean to buildWe first survey the plot, then draw the model.
Picture
An image formed in a person's mind.
The description gave me a clear picture of the setting.
Model
Anything which serves, or may serve, as an example for imitation; as, a government formed on the model of the American constitution; a model of eloquence, virtue, or behavior.
Picture
A painting or drawing.
The museum displayed pictures from renowned artists.
Model
That by which a thing is to be measured; standard.
He that despairs measures Providence by his own little, contracted model.
Picture
A visual depiction on a surface.
There was a picture of a family on the wall.
Model
Any copy, or resemblance, more or less exact.
Thou seest thy wretched brother die,Who was the model of thy father's life.
Model
A person who poses as a pattern for an artist; as, the artist used his daughter as a model for an Indian maiden.
Model
A person who is employed to wear clothing for the purpose of advertising or display, or who poses with a product for the same purpose; a mannequin{1}; as, a fashion model.
A professional model.
Model
A particular version or design of an object that is made in multiple versions; as, the 1993 model of the Honda Accord; the latest model of the HP laserjet printer. For many manufactured products, the model name is encoded as part of the model number.
Model
An abstract and often simplified conceptual representation of the workings of a system of objects in the real world, which often includes mathematical or logical objects and relations representing the objects and relations in the real-world system, and constructed for the purpose of explaining the workings of the system or predicting its behavior under hypothetical conditions; as, the administration's model of the United States economy predicts budget surpluses for the next fifteen years; different models of the universe assume different values for the cosmological constant; models of proton structure have grown progressively more complex in the past century.
Model
Suitable to be taken as a model or pattern; as, a model house; a model husband.
Model
To plan or form after a pattern; to form in model; to form a model or pattern for; to shape; to mold; to fashion; as, to model a house or a government; to model an edifice according to the plan delineated.
Model
To make a copy or a pattern; to design or imitate forms; as, to model in wax.
Model
A simplified description of a complex entity or process;
The computer program was based on a model of the circulatory and respiratory systems
Model
A type of product;
His car was an old model
Model
A person who poses for a photographer or painter or sculptor;
The president didn't have time to be a model so the artist worked from photos
Model
Representation of something (sometimes on a smaller scale)
Model
Something to be imitated;
An exemplar of success
A model of clarity
He is the very model of a modern major general
Model
Someone worthy of imitation;
Every child needs a role model
Model
A representative form or pattern;
I profited from his example
Model
A woman who wears clothes to display fashions;
She was too fat to be a mannequin
Model
The act of representing something (usually on a smaller scale)
Model
Plan or create according to a model or models
Model
Form in clay, wax, etc;
Model a head with clay
Model
Assume a posture as for artistic purposes;
We don't know the woman who posed for Leonardo so often
Model
Display (clothes) as a mannequin;
Model the latest fashion
Model
Create a representation or model of;
The pilots are trained in conditions simulating high-altitude flights
Model
Construct a model of;
Model an airplane
Model
Worthy of imitation;
Exemplary behavior
Model citizens
Model
A scaled representation of a structure.
The architect created a detailed model of the proposed building.
Model
A standard or example for imitation or comparison.
She is a model of integrity.
FAQs
Can a person be referred to as a model?
Yes, a model can be a person who displays products or represents aesthetic standards.
Are all pictures two-dimensional?
Typically yes, pictures are two-dimensional representations of visual scenes.
Do models always represent real objects?
No, models can represent abstract concepts, relationships, or hypothetical entities.
Can a picture be manipulated?
Yes, pictures can be edited or manipulated to change their appearance.
Is a model tangible?
Some models are tangible, but others can be mathematical or simulated.
Is a model always three-dimensional?
No, models can also be abstract representations or simulations.
Is a model in fashion the same as a model in science?
No, a fashion model represents aesthetic standards, while a scientific model represents concepts or relationships.
Can a model be a prototype?
Yes, a prototype is a preliminary model representing the core functionalities of the final product.
Can models have moving parts?
Yes, some models can have moving parts to accurately represent the functionality of the object being modeled.
Can a picture represent an abstract concept?
Generally, pictures represent visual realities but can be used metaphorically to represent abstract ideas.
Can a picture be a painting?
Yes, a picture can refer to a painting, drawing, or any visual art piece.
Can a picture be in black and white?
Yes, pictures can be in color or black and white.
Are models used in education?
Yes, models are crucial educational tools used to explain complex concepts in an understandable way.
Are pictures always true to reality?
No, pictures can be altered, and artistic pictures may not represent reality accurately.
Can a picture be drawn?
Yes, a picture can be created by drawing, painting, or any other art form.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
