Modelling and Simulation (eBook)

This book provides a balanced and integrated presentation of modelling and simulation activity for both Discrete Event Dynamic Systems (DEDS) and Continuous Time Dynamic Systems (CYDS). The authors establish a clear distinction between the activity of modelling and that of simulation, maintaining this distinction throughout. The text offers a novel project-oriented approach for developing the modelling and simulation methodology, providing a solid basis for demonstrating the dependency of model structure and granularity on project goals. Comprehensive presentation of the verification and validation activities within the modelling and simulation context is also shown.

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Overview Modelling and simulation is a tool that provides support for the planning, design, and evaluation of systems as well as the evaluation of strategies for system transformation and change. Its importance continues to grow at a remarkable rate, in part because its application is not constrained by discipline boundaries. This growth is also the consequence of the opportunities provided by the ever-widening availability of significant computing resources and the expanding pool of human skill that can effectively harness this computational power. However, the effective use of any tool and especially a multifaceted tool such as modelling and simulation involves a learning curve. This book addresses some of the challenges that lie on the path that ascends that curve. Consistent with good design practice, the development of this textbook began with several clearly defined objectives. Perhaps the most fundamental was the intent that the final product provide a practical (i.e., useful) introduction to the main facets of a typical modelling and simulation project. This objective was, furthermore, to include projects emerging from both the discrete-event and the continuous-time domains. In addition, the work was not to evolve into a treatise on any particular software tool, nor was it to be overly biased towards the statistical notions that play a key role in handling projects from the discrete-event domain.