14 Simulation, Graphics, Gaming, and Other Applications
The technique of using a model to represent phenomena, objects, or situations is called simulation. Airplane manufacturers build wind tunnels to study airflow around an airfoil on a new aircraft design. Pilots spend countless hours in a flight simulator, a model that recreates the responses of an aircraft to actions the pilot might take, thus allowing a pilot to learn to control the aircraft before he or she ever gets into the cockpit of a real plane. Before the plans of a new supermarket are finalized, a computer program is run to help determine how many checkout stations are needed for the expected number of customers.
In this chapter, we look at the theory behind simulations and examine some concrete examples, including models that predict the weather. Then we cover three other application types—computer graphics, computational biology, and gaming—to round out the discussion of the applications layer.