Web-Based Simulation for Science and Education
The Simulation for Education (Sim4edu) project provides both simulation technologies and a library of educational simulations. Its goal is to support various styles of modeling and simulation, including Discrete Event Simulation, NetLogo-style grid space models (and Cellular Automata models), and Agent-Based Simulation.
As opposed to traditional simulation technologies, web-based simulations, typically implemented with JavaScript, can be executed in any web browser, not just on desktop computers, but also on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. This allows sharing simulations by means of simple web links and makes them easily accessible to anyone anywhere.
Examples of ad-hoc simulation programs
... not based on any simulation paradigm or framework.
- A Model of an 8-bit Computer
- From the NAND gates, through to the registers, RAM, bits of the CPU, ALU and I/O.
- Elevator Saga
- Learning how to code by programming an elevator.
- JavaScript Ants
A simulation about ants finding food and bringing it back to the nest. Once an ant finds food, she leaves a chemical trail behind while walking back to the nest. The chemical substance evaporates over time, and other ants simply follow the gradient of the substance until they find the food.- Roundabout
- Microsimulation of traffic flow.
Examples of Discrete Event Simulation (DES)
... with fixed-increment time progression.
- Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) Disease Model
- An epidemiological model about the infection dynamics of a contagious disease in a closed population. See also a continuous SIR model.
... with next-event time progression.
- Inventory Management
An inventory
management system with a continuous replenishment policy based on a reorder point.- DriveThru
The order processing activities of a drive through
restaurant are performed at three service points with queues: the order taking at the menu board, the order preparation
at the kitchen and the order pickup at the pickup window.- Lengnick's Baseline Economy
Households play the roles of employees and consumers, while firms play the roles of employers and producers.
Examples of Grid Space Models
... with fixed-increment time progression.
- Gossip Model
- A Cellular Automata model about the problem of spreading gossip.
- Schelling Segregation Model
A residential area is populated by residents belonging to different groups. Periodically, all
residents check if they are content with their neighborhood, based on their degree of
tolerating neighbors of a different group. If they are not, they move to a location where they
are content, or leave the area if they don't find such a location.
Examples of Continuous Simulation
... with continuous state changes driven by fixed-increment time progression.
- Solar System
- Implemented with CSS 3D animations.
- Galaxy
- A spiral galaxy with 5000 stars (by Jonas Wagner, 2010-08-18).
- World3
- A System Dynamics model of the interactions between population, industrial growth, food production and limits in the ecosystems of the Earth. Reconstructed with Insight Maker.