Customer Reviews

Systems Simulation: The Art and Science

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I read this book years ago (decades?) and enjoyed it. FWIW, here is my abstract and summary:
Simulation is a powerful analysis tool that supports the design and operation of complex processes or systems. It allows the user to experiment with systems (real and proposed) where it would be impossible or impractical otherwise. This book presents the process of designing a model, running experiments with it, and analyzing the results.
C1 discusses general modeling philosophy and gives an overall view of simulation. C2 discusses techniques that have been found useful in analyzing the system and designing the model. Methods of determining the value of parameters and establishing the form of the interactions between components are presented. C3 shows how to choose the most appropriate computer programming language to fit the particular problem. C4 introduces terminology and concepts of experimental design. C5 discusses the choice of factors and their levels for computer simulation experiments, treating full and fractional factorial designs, as well as one-at-a-time sensitivity analysis. It presents some of the problems encountered in running and analyzing the experiments. C6 discusses the problem of validating the model and the inferences drawn from the experiment from both a philosophical and a practical viewpoint. It identifies four roles of sensitivity analysis: to show us how sensitive the results of the model are to the parameter values used, to show the impact on our decisions if the external environment changes, to motivate subsequent modifications to the model, and to reassure the decisionmaker of the validity of our results. C7 confronts the problems of managing the research activity and of gaining user acceptance.