Foundations of Modeling and Simulation

In today's complex operational environments, testing changes in the real world can be costly, risky, or outright impossible. This written course equips you with the foundational concepts and practical methodologies needed to build and analyze reliable computer simulation models. You will learn how to translate real-world systems into mathematical and logical representations, allowing you to run scenarios safely and predict outcomes with confidence. By completing this text-based program, you will transition from understanding basic system dynamics to designing and evaluating your own simulation models for business, logistics, or engineering processes. What you'll learn: - Understand the core terminology, principles, and lifecycle of system modeling and simulation - Apply discrete event simulation and agent-based modeling techniques to real-world scenarios - Analyze input data using statistical distributions to ensure your models reflect reality - Verify and validate your simulation models to guarantee accuracy and reliability - Interpret simulation output data to make informed, risk-managed operational decisions - Explore modern simulation trends including digital twins and cloud-based scaling This course begins with a thorough introduction to foundational terminology, probability concepts, and model structures. You will then progress through step-by-step written walkthroughs covering model design, execution, validation, and output analysis. This course is designed entirely for beginners with no prior simulation experience or advanced programming background. It is ideal for analysts, project managers, and engineers looking to add simulation to their decision-making toolkit. Start reading today to master the fundamentals of modeling and simulation.