A model needs boundaries
A useful simulator does two things at once: it makes relationships easier to explore and makes its own limits impossible to miss. Pirani behavior depends on pressure regime, gas properties, sensor geometry, temperature, accommodation, and the reference calibration.
Keep the terms inspectable
The interface exposes the active gas mixture, geometry, temperature, and model contributions beside the resulting curve. A user should be able to explain why a curve moved without reading the source.
pythonq_gas = (alpha * pressure) / (1.0 + bridge * pressure)
indicated = invert_nitrogen_curve(q_gas, geometry)
correction = pressure / indicated
Export the question
Interactive views are excellent for intuition; a CSV sweep is better for review, comparison, and a design note. Export metadata should travel with the numbers so a curve does not become detached from its assumptions.
- Show the molecular and viscous contributions separately.
- Keep source and assumption notes close to the controls.
- Export the configuration with every sweep.
- State where qualitative insight ends and metrology begins.
Legibility is not cosmetic. It is what makes a model useful in an engineering conversation.