Advantages and disadvantages of simulation
Advantages
- It can avoid danger and loss of life.
- Conditions can be varied and outcomes investigated.
- Critical situations can be investigated without risk.
- It is cost effective.
- The artificial recreation of an event or activity, eg flight simulation software. can be sped up so behaviour can be studied easily over a long period of time.
- Simulations can be slowed down to study behaviour more closely.
Disadvantages
- It can be expensive to measure how one thing affects another, to take the initial measurements and to create the model itself (such as aerodynamic wind tunnels).
- To simulate something, a thorough understanding is needed and an awareness of all the factors involved. Without this, a simulation cannot be created.