Simulation is the word for an analytical technique that lets an analyst investigate the properties and circumstances of an item or situation by creating a model of said item or situation and then exposing it to different scenarios. This requires relatively in-depth knowledge of the thing being simulated – at least for accurate results. In other words – if someone wants to test the properties of an apple in a simulation, they need to know its weight, shape, and colour. Without that, results would be quite inaccurate and not very helpful.
Technipages Explains Simulation
In a professional setting, simulations are used across industries. An example could be aeronautical engineers that have to test the viability and properties of new aircraft models quickly and before any expensive prototypes are built. So, a model of the potential aircraft is developed and virtually exposed to scenarios that the real one would have to go through – weather conditions, load scenarios, and natural disasters, for example.
Simulation is also used in education, for example for virtual science experiments where the materials for real ones are either too expensive, hard to come by, or simply not available to do the experiment. In other settings, simulations happen as well, from business to entertainment. A banker might choose to analyse what would happen if they were to make a certain risky move, while a gamer may want to wreak havoc on a simulated town just to see what would happen. All of these simulated scenarios are built on assumptions – things we know about the situation we are placing our test subject or object in, such as temperature, altitude, gravity and so on.
Common Uses of Simulation
- Any simulation is only as good as the assumptions and data it’s built on – incorrect assumptions give incorrect results.
- The more hypothetical a simulation is, the less reliable the results are, and the less likely they are to match real-life scenarios.
- Even getting just the gravity in a flight simulation the tiniest bit wrong can have huge unforeseen issues.
Common Misuses of Simulation
- A simulation is a type of AR or VR entertainment program.