ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the problems that arise when simulation is used to investigate directly the behaviour of models. A mathematical analysis of the corresponding birth-and-death process model is given in Byron J. T. Morgan. Detailed checking of the simulation output of a model against observed data from the real-life system that is being modelled, can provide challenging time-series problems. Simulation languages have been developed which automatically provide the required facilities for computer simulation. A. E. Markov processes may be far too simple even for models of lifetimes of bacteria, as they are also for the lifetimes of higher organisms such as nematodes. A frequent end-product of simulation modelling is the point estimate of a population parameter, such as a mean waiting-time, but point estimates are of little use unless they are accompanied by measures of their accuracy.