It is common for a discipline, especially one that is just getting its wi=
ts
about itself, to adopt some shared, well-defined problems for teaching an=
d
study. Often known as model systems or type problems, they provide a way =
to
compare methods and results, work out new techniques on standard examples=
,
and set a minimum standard of capability for new participants. In time, a
reasonable approach to some of these problems becomes the price of
admission to get serious consideration of a new technique. Model problems
also provide a pre-debugged source of educational exercises.
Biology, for example, has
=95Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly)
=95Rattus rattus Norwegicus (the lab rat)
=95Escherichia coli (the digestive bacterium)
...