1.9 Exercises

Exercise 1.1 Using the resources at (http://www.informs-sim.org/wscpapers.html) find an application of simulation to a real system and discuss why simulation was important to the analysis.

Exercise 1.2 Customers arrive to a gas station with two pumps. Each pump can reasonably accommodate a total of two cars. If all the space for the cars is full, potential customers will balk (leave without getting gas). What measures of performance will be useful in evaluating the effectiveness of the gas station? Describe how you would collect the inter-arrival and service times of the customers necessary to simulate this system.

Exercise 1.3 Classify the systems as either being discrete or continuous:

  • Electrical Capacitor (You are interested in modeling the amount of current in a capacitor at any time \(t\)).

  • On-line gaming system. (You are interested in modeling the number of people playing Halo 4 at any time \(t\).)

  • An airport. (You are interested in modeling the percentage of flights that depart late on any given day).

Exercise 1.4 Classify the systems as either being discrete or continuous:

  • Parking lot

  • Level of gas in Fayetteville shale deposit

  • Printed circuit board manufacturing facility

Exercise 1.5 Classify the systems as either being discrete or continuous:

  • Classify the systems as either being discrete or continuous:

  • Elevator system (You are interested in modeling the number of people waiting on each floor and traveling within the elevators.)

  • Judicial system (You are interested in modeling the number of cases waiting for trial.)

  • The in-air flight path of an airplane as it moves from an origin to a destination.

Exercise 1.6 What is model conceptualization? Give an example of something that might be produced during model conceptualization.

Exercise 1.7 The act of implementing the model in computer code, including timing and general procedures and the representation of the conceptual model into a computer simulation program is called: \(\underline{\hspace{2in}}\).

Exercise 1.8 Which of the following does the problem formulation phase of simulation not include? - Define the system - Establish performance metrics - Verification - Build conceptual models

Exercise 1.9 Fill in the blank The general goals of a simulation include the \(\underline{\hspace{2in}}\) of system alternatives and their performance measures across various factors (decision variables) with respect to some objectives.

Exercise 1.10 Fill in the blank The general goals of a simulation include the \(\underline{\hspace{2in}}\) of system behavior at some future point in time.

Exercise 1.11 True or False Verification of the simulation model is performed to determine whether the simulation model adequately represents the real system.