ISYE6644 (Simulation) Midterm 1
What is a characteristic of a bad random number generator? - ✔️✔️It must generate a
random number distribution for every seed imaginable.
What is a random walk simulation? - ✔️✔️Take a normal step up or down every time
unit and plot where you are as time progresses.
This "random walk" converges to Brownian motion
Einstein and Black+Scholes won nobel Prizes for this research.
What is simulation good for? - ✔️✔️1. Describe / analyze real or conceptual system
behavior.
2. Ask "what if" questions.
3. Aid in system design and optimization
4. Can simulate almost anythin
What are some characteristics of simulation models? - ✔️✔️1. Discrete (vs.
continuous)
2. Stochastic (vs. deterministic)
3. Dynamic (vs. static)
What is simulation? - ✔️✔️Simulation is the imitation of a real-world process of system
over time.
Simulation involves the generation of an artificial history to draw inferences concerning
the operating characteristics of the real system that is represented.
What are the reasons to simulate? - ✔️✔️1. Will the system accomplish its goals?
2. Current system won't accomplish its goals, now what?
3. Need incremental improvement.
4. Create a specification or action plan
5. Solve a problem, like a bottleneck.
6. Resolve disputes
7. Sell an idea
What are the disadvantages of simulation? - ✔️✔️1. Sometimes not so easy
, 2. Sometimes very time consuming / costly
3. Simulations give "random" output (and lots of misinterpretation of results is possible)
4. To do a certain problem, better methods than simulation may exist
We are interested in modeling the arrival and service process at the local McBurger
Queen burger joint. Customers come in every once in a while, stand in line, eventually
get served, and off they go. Generally speaking, what kind of model are we talking
about here? (More than one answer below may be right.)
A) Discrete
B) Continuous
C) Stochastic
D) Deterministic - ✔️✔️(a) (because events such as arrivals and service completions
only happen once in a while, as opposed to continuously); and (c) (because customer
arrival times, service times, shift changes, etc., are all random).
Which of the following can be regarded as advantages of simulation? (More than one
answer below may be right.)
A) Simulation enables you to study models too complicated for analytical or numerical
treatment.
B) Simulations can serve as very pretty demos that even University of Georgia
graduates can understand.
C) Simulation can be used to study detailed relations that might be lost in an analytical
or numerical treatment.
D) Simulations are often tedious and time-consuming to produce. - ✔️✔️A) Simulation
enables you to study models too complicated for analytical or numerical treatment.
B) Simulations can serve as very pretty demos that even University of Georgia
graduates can understand.
C) Simulation can be used to study detailed relations that might be lost in an analytical
or numerical treatment.
Who is William Gosset?
A) He invented the t distribution that is used ubiquitously in statistics.
B) He invented the s distribution that is used ubiquitously in statistics.
C) He invented tea.
D) He invented the word "ubiquitous".
E) He is the brother of Louis Gossett Jr., best known for his fine acting in many films,
including An Officer and a Gentleman. - ✔️✔️A) He invented the t distribution that is
used ubiquitously in statistics.
What was the first use of a computer simulation? - ✔️✔️Stan Ulam and Johnny von
Neumann in 1946 after world war 2. They used simulation in the context of the
development of the H bomb.
What is a characteristic of a bad random number generator? - ✔️✔️It must generate a
random number distribution for every seed imaginable.
What is a random walk simulation? - ✔️✔️Take a normal step up or down every time
unit and plot where you are as time progresses.
This "random walk" converges to Brownian motion
Einstein and Black+Scholes won nobel Prizes for this research.
What is simulation good for? - ✔️✔️1. Describe / analyze real or conceptual system
behavior.
2. Ask "what if" questions.
3. Aid in system design and optimization
4. Can simulate almost anythin
What are some characteristics of simulation models? - ✔️✔️1. Discrete (vs.
continuous)
2. Stochastic (vs. deterministic)
3. Dynamic (vs. static)
What is simulation? - ✔️✔️Simulation is the imitation of a real-world process of system
over time.
Simulation involves the generation of an artificial history to draw inferences concerning
the operating characteristics of the real system that is represented.
What are the reasons to simulate? - ✔️✔️1. Will the system accomplish its goals?
2. Current system won't accomplish its goals, now what?
3. Need incremental improvement.
4. Create a specification or action plan
5. Solve a problem, like a bottleneck.
6. Resolve disputes
7. Sell an idea
What are the disadvantages of simulation? - ✔️✔️1. Sometimes not so easy
, 2. Sometimes very time consuming / costly
3. Simulations give "random" output (and lots of misinterpretation of results is possible)
4. To do a certain problem, better methods than simulation may exist
We are interested in modeling the arrival and service process at the local McBurger
Queen burger joint. Customers come in every once in a while, stand in line, eventually
get served, and off they go. Generally speaking, what kind of model are we talking
about here? (More than one answer below may be right.)
A) Discrete
B) Continuous
C) Stochastic
D) Deterministic - ✔️✔️(a) (because events such as arrivals and service completions
only happen once in a while, as opposed to continuously); and (c) (because customer
arrival times, service times, shift changes, etc., are all random).
Which of the following can be regarded as advantages of simulation? (More than one
answer below may be right.)
A) Simulation enables you to study models too complicated for analytical or numerical
treatment.
B) Simulations can serve as very pretty demos that even University of Georgia
graduates can understand.
C) Simulation can be used to study detailed relations that might be lost in an analytical
or numerical treatment.
D) Simulations are often tedious and time-consuming to produce. - ✔️✔️A) Simulation
enables you to study models too complicated for analytical or numerical treatment.
B) Simulations can serve as very pretty demos that even University of Georgia
graduates can understand.
C) Simulation can be used to study detailed relations that might be lost in an analytical
or numerical treatment.
Who is William Gosset?
A) He invented the t distribution that is used ubiquitously in statistics.
B) He invented the s distribution that is used ubiquitously in statistics.
C) He invented tea.
D) He invented the word "ubiquitous".
E) He is the brother of Louis Gossett Jr., best known for his fine acting in many films,
including An Officer and a Gentleman. - ✔️✔️A) He invented the t distribution that is
used ubiquitously in statistics.
What was the first use of a computer simulation? - ✔️✔️Stan Ulam and Johnny von
Neumann in 1946 after world war 2. They used simulation in the context of the
development of the H bomb.
