Simulation is a quantitative procedure widely applied
in disciplines that use
mathematical models. Simulation provides a means to investigate the
behaviour of models by doing experiments using the computer. In most
cases these models are too complicated to solve analytically. However,
the results of simulation are more descriptive than those obtained
by
analytical procedures, they are useful to explore "what if"
types of questions.
What if I change a parameter value from a to b, what if I double the
rate of
change, etc. Simulation can be very useful to help students develop
an
intuitive understanding of statistical concepts, for example, students
can
simulate drawing samples from a population and explore the change
in
means, in standard deviations, in resulting probability distributions,
etc.
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