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Showing posts with label random variables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random variables. Show all posts

Sunday, February 25, 2007

What is Simulation?

Simulation is the process of imitation or enactment of a system, process, service or some other action or entity. To perform a good simulation the system engineer needs to have a good understanding of the system being simulated, hence the need for a representitive model. Assumptions and approximations used in the model defintion need to be documented and understood.

We normally conduct a simulation to forecast or analyze how some characteristic of a system will behave in the context of the model developed.

The models used could be classified into different types, common classifications are,

1. Stochastic models / Deterministic models
2. Continuous / Discrete
3. Steady-state / Dynamic
4. Local /Distributed

Commonly used models are the stochastic models. They focus on either studying the effect of time (for example the case of a stock market behaviour) or studying the effect of some random variable (for example random terrain).