SIMULATION MODELS (Taxonomy of)
Charles François (2004). SIMULATION MODELS (Taxonomy of), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3050.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3050 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
H. PRAEHOFER resumes as follows T. ÖREN's taxonomy of models “… for which he uses the following classification criteria: time set of the model, trajectory of descriptive variables, existence and range of variables, functional relations of variables, spatial distribution, organization of component models, and goals to be pursued…
- “According to the criteria time, we speak of continuous-time models when time is represented by real numbers and we speak of discrete-time models when time is represented by integers or a set isomorphic to the integers. According to the second criteria, we speak of continuous change models when state changes occur continuously over time and we speak of discrete-change models when they occur in discrete jumps. Pairwise combinations of one category for each criteria define well-known modeling concepts. Continuous-time and continuous-change models are differential equations specified models, discrete-time and continuous-change models are difference equation specified models, discrete-time and discrete-change models are automaton models, and discrete-change and continuous-time models represent the class of discrete event models”.
Practically: “The real system is regarded to be nothing more than a source of data. The model is a set of instructions capable of generating such data and the computer is a means of carrying out these instructions to generate such data.
- “A direct relation exists between the real system and the model and is summarized by the term modeling. A direct relation between the model and the computer exists and this relation can be denoted as simulation” (1991, p 287-289)