Basic elements of dynamic simulation

Abstract

When analysing systems one is usually interested in the status of the system at a certain moment and its behaviour as a function of time. A system, defined in Section 1.1 as a limited part of reality that contains interrelated elements, may be too complex to study in its entireness. However, a model, defined as a simplified representation of a system that contains the elements and their relations that are considered to be of major importance for system behaviour, may be easier to study. The design of such models and the study of the model behaviour in relation to that of the system is called simulation; when the change with time is also included, it is called dynamic simulation.