TABLE OF CONTENTS Systems knowledge can also be obtained experimentally. Simulation is the experimentation with real systems for the purpose of discovering or validating various hypotheses in the same way as other scientists do with objects of their interest in their laboratories. In this sense, computers may be viewed as laboratories of systems science. Experimentation with systems on computers may give us knowledge that is otherwise unobtainable.
George Klir
This is a reference text on modeling and simulation (M&S) as it applies to space systems development and operation. Therefore, it makes sense to define some terms. For those used throughout the text, such as model, simulation, and simulator, we'll use definitions by Zeigler (Zeigler et al. 2000). A model is a set of instructions, rules, equations, or constraints that help us generate results resembling a system's behavior. A simulator usually is a computer system (algorithm, single processor, or processor network) that can run a model to generate its behavior. The term simulator can refer to the software, hardware, or both. Some types of simulators, such as board games, don't use computers. Simulation is the process of using a simulator to do such things as performing a study, answering a question, or evaluating a system. It often refers to the entire...
