The Power of Simulation
Lesson 1, page 4 of 5
Simulation is a powerful and important tool because it provides a way in which alternative designs, plans and/or policies can be evaluated without having to experiment on a real system A subunit of the world separated by a boundary from the rest of the world. The description of the system is comprised of the relations within the system as well as those characterizing the action of the outside world on the system., which may be prohibitively costly, time-consuming, or simply impractical to do. That is, it allows you to ask "What if?" questions about a system without having to experiment on the actual system itself (and hence incur the costs of field tests, prototypes, etc.).
A few wide-ranging examples of how simulation can be used to ask such "What if?" questions in order to solve real-world problems in business, engineering and science include:
- Water Resources: By simulating the inflows and future demands on a water supply reservoir, you can optimize management practices to minimize the probability of needing to seek other sources and/or impose water use restrictions at some future date.
- Environment: By simulating the performance of a proposed landfill or hazardous waste site, you can modify the design to minimize environmental impacts.
- Resource Planning and Management: By simulating a natural resource (such as a forest), you can determine which combination of management practices (e.g., selective harvesting, development of recreational facilities) maximizes the use of the resource and best satisfies the various stakeholders.
- Strategic planning: By simulating the development, regulatory approval, and marketing of a new drug, you can determine a strategy that will maximize profits.
- Reliability and Systems Engineering: By simulating the components, processes, failure modes and events controlling a complex engineering system (such as a space system, a machine, or a large industrial facility), you can predict the reliability of the system, and modify the design so as to increase reliability and decrease the probability and/or consequences of failures.