Unit 5 - Chapter 13

Question 1

The scientific method entails

Answer 1

observing the behaviors of a system and formulating a hypothesis that tries to understand and explain that behaviour.

Question 2

A model is

Answer 2

a representation of the system being studied, which we claim behaves much like the original.

Question 3

How computational model system works:

Answer 3

We initialize the system, observe its response, and if we are not satisfied, modify the parameters and run the model again. We repeat this process over and over, always trying to improve performance. Only when we think we have created the best design possible would we actually build it. This interactive approach to design is called computational steering.

Question 4

Continuous model

Answer 4

In a continuous model, we write out a set of explicit mathematical equations that describes the behaviour of a system as a continuous function of time t. These equations are then solved on a computer system to produce the desired results. Unfortunately, there are many systems that cannot be modeled using precise mathematical equations because researchers have not discovered exactly what those equations should be.

Question 5

stochastic components

Answer 5

This means there are parts of the system that display random behaviour, much like the throw of the dice or the drawing of a playing card.

Question 6

Event

Answer 6

Any activity that changes the state of our system

Question 7

Statistical distribution

Answer 7

a mathematical equation specifying the probability that a random variable takes on a certain value.

Question 8

uniform random number

Answer 8

a random integer v takes on one of the values 1,2,3,…,100 with equal likelihood.

Question 9

A computer science dictum

Answer 9

garbage in, garbage out - the results you get out of a simulation model are only as good as the data and the assumptions put into the model.

Question 10

Scientific visualization

Answer 10

is concerned with the issue of how to visualize data in a way that highlights its important characteristics and simplifies its interpretation.

Question 11

Computer graphics

Answer 11

the field of computer graphics is concerned with the technical issues involved in information display. That is, it deals with the actual algorithms for rendering a screen image0light sources, shadows, hidden lines and surfaces, shading, contours, and perspective. In contrast, scientific visualization is concerned with how to display a large data set in a way that is most helpful to users and that maximizes its comprehension.