ABSTRACT
Simulation is the process of conducting "experiments" on a deterministic or stochastic model of a complex system and of making statistical inferences using the performance data for the system. Simulation brings together three powerful quantitative techniques: model building, computer science and statistics. The use of simulation to examine simultaneous interactions of the many parts of a complex system became popular following advances in large electronic computers in the early 1950's. Alternatives to simulation for characterizing the behavior of a complex system are: experimenting with the actual system and representing the system by a simplified model which will lead to a loss of accuracy but which will be amenable to a quantitative technique. Simulation is applied both to complex deterministic models and complex stochastic models. Simulation of complex deterministic models is also performed when intermediate results and not just the final analytical solution are of interest.
