SIMULATION (Analog)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3049 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
A simulation of a concrete process or network through a mechanical, hydraulic or electrical model, whose behavior is considered equivalent.
H.T. ODUM writes: “Analog simulation has many purposes. The process of setting up flows and functional parts is a powerful stimulant to the imagination, helping one to be precise, to ask new questions about the particular networks, and to secure the right measurements. The electric flows, being very fast, can simulate much slower systems. Because electrons and their control pieces are very small, they can model large systems that would be expensive or impossible to manipulate experimentally” (1971, p.258).
ODUM gives the simulation of the flows of groundwater accross the state of Nebraska as an example and states: “The flow of electrons in wires is so fast that fifty years of changes can be observed in a short time” (Ibid).