Tuesday, December 7, 2010 by Beat Schwendimann The terms
simulation and model are often used synonymously. However, I
suggest the following distinction: -A model is a product
(physical or digital) that represents a system of interest. A
model is similar to but simpler than the system it represents,
while approximating most of the same salient features of the
real system as close as possible. A good model is a judicious
tradeoff between realism and simplicity. A key feature of a
model is manipulability. A model can be a physical model (for
example a physical architectural house scale model, a model
aircraft, a fashion mannequin, or a model organism in biology
research); or a conceptual model (for example a computer model,
a statistical or mathematical model, a business model, -Modeling
is the act of building a model. -A simulation is the process of
using a model to study the behavior and performance of an actual
or theoretical system. In a simulation, models can be used to
study existing or proposed characteri