Simulationen

Simulationen, the German plural for Simulation, are models or experiments that imitate real-world processes, events, or systems in order to study their behavior under controlled conditions. They are used across science, engineering, and business to explore how a system responds to changes without risking the real world.

A simulation may be implemented as a mathematical model executed by a computer, a physical replica, or a combination of both. Common modalities include computer-based simulations (often discrete-event, continuous, or agent-based), physical scale models, and hybrid approaches that couple equations with digital computation. Discrete-event simulations focus on system states at specific event times; continuous simulations model change over time; agent-based models simulate autonomous entities and their interactions.

History and development: formal simulation methods emerged in the 20th century with advances in computing and numerical methods, such as Monte Carlo techniques, system dynamics, and later, agent-based modeling. Today, simulations support design, analysis, training, and policy evaluation.

Methodology: building a simulation involves defining the system boundary, selecting a modeling approach, coding or constructing the model, and performing verification and validation to confirm that the model is implemented correctly and represents the real process adequately. Experimentation, sensitivity analysis, and scenario comparison are standard practices to understand uncertainty and risk.

Limitations and considerations: models abstract reality and depend on data quality, assumptions, and simplifications. Computational costs, interpretability, and potential biases must be managed. Proper documentation and reproducibility are essential for credible simulation studies.