Computer Simulations and Scientific Knowledge Construction

Scientific Simulations

Generally speaking, a simulation is a technique of imitating the behaviour of a situation, process, or system by means of an analogous system. In the simplest sense, a system is a set of interacting identities. In the case of scientific simulations, this analogous system is a mathematical model. The mathematical equations that produce the model represent the various processes which take place within the target system. In other words, this model constitutes a simplified or idealised representation of a system by means of a set of mathematical equations (algebraic, differential, or integral). The mathematical model becomes a simulation by solving numerically (i.e., for varying sets of input values) the equations comprising in order to imitate or simulate the dynamic (time-varying) behaviour of the system (Fishwick, 1995).

In a computer simulation, the mathematical model is produced by proper executable algorithms, which are used to solve the mathematical equations. Consequently, a computer-based simulation is a software application that embodies a model of the actual or theoretical system, executing the model on a computer and analysing the output. Any system in either the micro- or the macro-world can be simulated, providing that its behaviour can be described by a computer model (algorithm). Usually, a simulation model is an abstraction that behaves somewhat like the original system, thus allowing users to replicate only a small part of the actual system under investigation (e.g., its key features or characteristics).