IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST BENEFICIENT THE MOST MERCIFULL.

COMPUTER SIMULATION
MODELING
AN INTRODUCTION

Systems, subsystems, variables, etc.

System.
Collection of items from a circumscribed sector of reality that is the
object of study or interest.
Includes: People, material, procedures, resources, etc.
OR
A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements
forming a complex whole.
Subsystem.
System under study may itself be a part of a bigger system.
Variables.
A system contains of one or more numerical values that may be
constant or may keep on changing.
System state.
The set of values of all system variables.
Change in any or all of the system variables causes the state to
change.

SIMULATION AN INTRODUCTION.
Model
Description/Representation of a system.
System: A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole.
In physical sciences models are developed based on laws,
theories, and principles.
3D
Types of models.
Iconic models Scaled physical objects. (a.k.a physical)
Visual models Graphical representations (diagrams).
Abstract models Mathematical equations.
Narrative models Written or spoken
Hybrid models A combination of all or a few of the above.

EXAMPLES OF 3-D MODELS

SIMULATION AN INTRODUCTION.
Simulation.
Imitation of a real-life process or a phenomenon.
(phenomenon plural is phenomena)
Computer simulation.
Process of designing a model (such as a mathematicallogical model) of a real-system and experimenting with
this model on a computer.

SIMULATION Other Definitions.

1. Simulation is a representation of reality through the use of a
model or other device which will react in the same manner as
reality under a given set of conditions.
2. Simulation is the use of a system model that has the designed
characteristics of reality in order to produce the essence of
actual operation.
3. A simulated model may be defined as one which depicts the
working of a large-scale system of men, machines, materials
and information operating over a period of time in a simulated
environment of the actual real world conditions. [Donald G.
Malcolm]
4. Simulation is a numerical technique for conducting experiments
on a digital computer, which involves certain types of
mathematical and logical relationships necessary to describe the
behavior and structure of a complex real world system over
extended periods of time. [Naylor et al]

WHY SIMULATION?.
Real life problems / phenomena may be difficult,
spontaneous,
instantaneous,
time-consuming,
expensive, risky/hazardous, etc.
Simulating such phenomena is safe, cheaper, quick
and helpful in many ways.
Examples.
Study of Sun or other stars/planets. Warfare plans and exercise.
Atomic structure, chemical reactions, nuclear experiments, missile experiments,
biological experiments.
Floods, earthquakes, disasters.
Security operations, security plans.
Business processes and planning, office planning, customer management.
Training of expensive or hazardous or risky equipment.
Industrial exploration/experimentation, etc. etc.
Prototype development.

ADVANTAGES OF COMPUTER SIMULATION.

1. It is less complicated mathematically.
2. It is flexible.
3. It can be modified to suit the changing environments
of the situation.
4. It can be used for training purposes.
5. It may be less expensive in several real-world
situations (in terms of time, money and resources).
6. It may be less time consuming.

MOST POPULAR APPLICATIONS OF SIMULATION.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

QUEUEING AND INVENTORY PROBLEMS.

FINANCIAL AND BUDGETING PROBLEMS.
PERT, SCHEDULING & FORECASTING PROBLEMS.
RESEARCH TECHNIQUE.
SERVICE SECTOR PROBLEMS.
HEALTH & MEDICINE RESEARCH.
Embryology, pharmacy, genetics, etc.

7.
8.

MANUFACTURING SECTOR PROBLEMS.

MILITARY AND LOGISTICS PROBLEMS.
Warfare, games, weapon design, etc.

9.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PROBLEMS.

Demography, sample-population, other statistics.

10. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROBLEMS.

Physics, chemistry, astronomy, etc.

ETC.

SIMULATION MODELS.
Types of Simulation Models.
Deterministic.
e.g. S = v.t
Probabilistic (Stochastic).
e.g. rainfall, warfare, etc.
Static (time independent) simulation.
e.g. estimating , area, volume, and other scalars.
Dynamic (time dependent) simulation.
e.g. waiting queues at banks, offices, shops, etc.
e.g. rate of something: electrons, cells, virus, etc.

ROLE OF STATISTICS, PROBABILITY AND

MATHEMATICS IN SIMULATION MODELS.
Statistics.
It is the mathematics of data collection, organization,
and interpretation of numerical data.
Probability.
The science of describing the likely occurrences or
otherwise of events in nature and daily human life.
Mathematics.
Branch of science dealing with the study and
experimentation of numbers and space.

ROLE OF STATISTICS, PROBABILITY AND

MATHEMATICS IN SIMULATION MODELS (continued).
In our daily life, and in our professions we deal with quality as well as
quantities.
The subjects of maths, stats, and probability guide as how to deal with
quantities, and how to experiment with them, in order to achieve our
goals.
We may consider physics, and other sciences to be application of
mathematics.
Examples.
How many patients arrived today at a hospital?
How many patients are expected tomorrow?
How many customers are expected at a bank tomorrow, this week or
next week?
How many and what kinds of weapons should an army have to counter
enemy maneuvers, and attacks?
Will a nuclear explosion be successful?
Will the new missile be able to hit its targets?
Will the improvement in the missile system work?
etc.

Steps in CSM process.

Simulation process.
Problem formulation.
Model building.
Data acquisition.
Model translation.
Verification (model right) and validation (accurate model).
Strategic and tactical planning.
Experimentation.
Iterations.
Analysis of results.
Implementation and documentation.

Syllabus Outline.
Phase I: Elementary statistics and probability.
Samples, populations, events, central tendency, discrete random
variables, continuous random variables.
Probability distributions and functions.
Popular distributions: uniform, triangular, exponential, Poisson, normal,
erlang, gamma, etc.
Statistical inference and estimation.
Markovian processes and chains.

Phase II: Simulation modeling.

Model building, static models, dynamic models.
Random numbers, probability distributions.
Random sampling methods.
Simulation process.
Queuing theory fundamentals. Queues and servers.
Discrete simulation techniques.

Phase III: Visual Slam and Arena.

Visual simulation techniques. Network models.
Nodes, activities, decision making, data collection. Etc.

CSM Steps (continued).

Recommended Text.
Jerry Banks, John Carson, Barry Nelson, David Nicol,
"Discrete Event System Simulation
Averill Law, W. David Kelton,
"Simulation Modeling and Analysis", McGraw-HILL
- Sheldon M. Ross, Simulation and Modeling, 2002.
Class handouts and teachers notes/slides.