A consolidação do emprego de modelos em física a partir dos seguintes temas: modelos mecânicos, unidade da natureza e estrutura do núcleo atômico

The objective of this essay is to argue, inconclusively, in favor of the thesis that blames nuclear physics for the popularization among physicists of the term "model". Although this term has been used since at least the early twentieth century, it was through research into the structure of the atomic nucleus that it spread. Finally, this text questions whether the popularization of this concept could not be explained also by its ability to allow such a specialized science, from where so fragmented, as physics the existence of internal communication channels