ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the chronology of the development of Monte Carlo simulation and describes the fundamentals of the technique. The Monte Carlo simulation method has found widespread application in the radiological sciences. Its popularization as an investigational tool is demonstrated by the number of papers in Medical Physics and Physics in Medicine and Biology which utilize Monte Carlo simulation technique. The earliest use of the Monte Carlo simulation technique was probably around 1873, involving a method for the calculation of the constant pi. The Monte Carlo simulation technique can be understood in terms of a black box diagram. Since the Monte Carlo technique is inherently linked to computers, this widespread use has given rise to specialized computed languages for it implementation such as GPSS, DYNAMO, and SIMSCRIPT. The presence and availability of software packages has increased the utilization of the Monte Carlo simulation technique.
