Computer simulation is the creation of electronic representations of objects or ideas that respond to changing factors. For example, the electronic design of an automobile is a computer model. Putting the computer model of the car in motion across computer-generated terrain and demonstrating how it would respond is a computer simulation.
Computer simulations have many uses. Business simulations aid in developing new products and in training employees. Scientists use simulations to test chemical compounds, to examine weather patterns, and to speculate on the behavior of stars. The most familiar computer simulations are computer games. Flight simulator games, for example, re-create various types of aircraft and challenge players to fly those craft through different weather conditions and even combat situations.
Simulations are based on mathematical equations that describe the model and its environment. Simple simulations involve few variables and do not require many calculations. For example, the simulation of an idealized lever might feature only three variables: the amount of effort, the amount of load, and the distance of the effort from the fulcrum. The simulation might display the most significant calculations, which would change as the variables were changed. In the most sophisticated simulations, computers consider and manipulate millions of variables simultaneously.
