" Tests and predictions The Standard Model predicted the existence of W and Z bosons, the gluon, the top quark and the charm quark before these particles had been observed. Their predicted properties were experimentally confirmed with good precision . The Large Electron-Positron collider at CERN tested various predictions about the decay of Z bosons, and found them confirmed. To get an idea of the success of the Standard Model a comparison between the measured and the predicted values of some quantities are shown in the following table: Quality Measured (GeV) SM prediction (GeV) Mass of W boson 80,4120±0,0420 80,3900±0,0180 Mass of Z boson 91,1874±0,0021 91,1874±0,0021 Challenges to the Standard Model Although the Standard Model has had great success in explaining experimental results, it has never been accepted as a complete theory of fundamental physics. This is because it has two important defects: The model contains 19 free parameters, such as particle masses, which must be determined experimentally (plus another 10 for neutrino masses). These parameters cannot be independently calculated. The model does not describe the gravitational interaction. Black Hot Model Since the completion of the Standard Model, many efforts have been made to address these problems. One attempt to address the first defect is known as grand unification. "

" Models are usually man-constituted. That justifies talking about their purpose prior to talking about their consistency. Models are used as substitutes for originals because properties of the latter are of interest and the originals are not going to be investigated themselves. There may be a number of reasons for that such as taboos preventing from studying the original itself, or inability, the involved cost in terms of resources or moral damage being intolerable, or similar. For an investigator I it makes only sense to consider an entity M as a substitute of an entity O, if I can (1) establish an analogy, similarity, or similar relation between M and O that permits the substitution of O by M with respect to purpose and means, time-horizon etc. , and (2) I can actually investigate M in the required way. That implies firstly that M does not have the properties of O that prevent I from investigating O. Hot Japanese Model Also other properties of O may not be properties of M. In that sense a model is more abstract than its original. "