INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN

SCIENCE
(SSI 3013)

TITLE :

SIMULATION AND MODELLING

LECTURERS NAME:
ENCIK AZMI BIN IBRAHIM

PREPARED BY :
1) ANIS NABILAH BT MUHD NOOR ASHIKHI

2) NURSAIYIDAH BT ABDUL RONI

DATE : 6 NOVEMBER 2016

D20161073928
D20161073948

CONTENTS
Acknowledgement
1.0

Introduction

2.0

Advantages and Disadvantages of Simulation

3.0

Stella Software

4.0

Prediction of the Data

5.0

Conclusion

References

Acknowledgement

First of all, thanks to Allah S.W.T for his mercy and guidance in giving us full strength to
complete this assignment titled Simulation and Modelling. Even though there are some
difficulties while completing this assignment, we still managed to complete it. Our deep gratitude
goes first to Encik Azmi bin Ibrahim for all his support and guidance in helping us to finish this
task. Then, we would like to thank our parents for supporting us mentally and physically not only
during completing this assignment but our whole studies in order to born as a teacher one day.
Last but not least, we would like to thank all our friends who never give up in giving us advices
in all aspects. Thank you very much for all your kindness.

1.0 Introduction

Simulations and modelling are two closely related computer applications which play a major role
in science and engineering today. They help scientists and engineers to reduce the cost and time
consumption for research. They are also useful for ordinary people to understand and be trained
for something easily. Simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or
system over time. The act of simulating something first requires that a model be developed; this
model represents the key characteristics or behaviors/functions of the selected physical or
abstract system or process. The model represents the system itself, whereas the simulation
represents the operation of the system over time.
Simulation is used in many contexts, such as simulation of technology for performance
optimization, safety engineering, testing, training, education, and video games. Often, computer
experiments are used to study simulation models. Simulation is also used with scientific
modelling of natural systems or human systems to gain insight into their functioning. Besides,
simulation can be used to show the eventual real effects of alternative conditions and courses of
action. Simulation is also used when the real system cannot be engaged, because it may not be
accessible, or it may be dangerous or unacceptable to engage, or it is being designed but not yet
built, or it may simply not exist.

2.0 Advantages and Disadvantages of Simulation

There are many advantages of simulation which is it can be used to compress a time frame. A
simulation model run on a computer system can be used to investigate quickly the effects of a
change in a real life situation that take place over several years. Besides, simulation can be used
to study complex systems that would otherwise be difficult to investigate. Apart from that,
simulation can also be used in engineering and product design to investigate the effect of
changes without producing a physical prototype. Another benefit of simulator is that it can be
used to investigate situation that would be dangerous in real life.
Despite the advantages of simulation presented above, simulators like most tools do have their
disadvantages. Many of these problems can be attributed to the computationally intensive
processing required by some simulators. As a consequence, the result of the simulation may not
be readily available after the simulation has started. For example, an event that may occur
instantaneously in a real world may actually take hours to mimic in a simulated environment.
Moreover, we have a poor understanding of how some physical systems work so that we do not
have sufficient data to produce a mathematical model. For this reason it has not been possible to
create simulations that can accurately predict the occurrence and effects of earthquakes and
tsunami. In addition, the formula and functions that are used may not provide an accurate
description of the system resulting in accurate output from the stimulation and the complex
stimulation can require the use of a computer system with a fast processor and large amounts of
energy.

3.0 Stella Software

STELLA stands for Systems Thinking, Experimental Learning Laboratory with Animation, also
marketed as iThink) is a visual programming language for system dynamics modeling introduced
by Barry Richmond in 1985. These program, distributed by isee systems (formerly High
Performance Systems) that allows users to run models created as graphical representations of a
system using four fundamental building blocks. STELLA has been used in academia as a
teaching tool and has been utilized in a variety of research and business applications. The
program has received positive reviews, being praised in particular for its ease of use and
inexpensiveness.

4.0 Simulation Graph

1. First simulation graph

2. Second simulation graph

3. Third simulation graph

In an ecosystem, predation is a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is

hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked). Predators may or may not kill their
prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation often results in the death of the prey and
the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption. Thus predation is often, though
not always, carnivores. For our assignment on model and simulation, we had choose the topic
from the discipline of biology which is the prey-predator dynamics.

Within this simple predator-prey dynamics, we had run 3 simulation which is differ in the
value of the parameter. That parameter in this experiment is the size of 1 time lynx harvest. In the
first experiment that we had run, the size of 1 time lynx harvest is set to zero. As the result, we
can see that the graph showing only a straight line. This indicated that the lynx and hare
population is still the same through years. This is because the lynx and hare coexisted in peace,
harmony and equilibrium.
Then, we had run the second experiment by increasing the size of 1 time lynx harvest to
390. From the graph we can observed that when the lynx population decrease, the hare start to
increase in their size of population. The population of lynx decrease for the first period is due to
the competition for mating partner, space and territory. But, after several years, since the hares
keep increasing, the lynx also start to increase in their populations size. It might be because of
the lynx have enough supply of food which they eat on hare. Due to this situation, the size of

hares start to decline. The effect of decreasing in hares population also affect the size of lynx
because the lynx depends on hares for the food. When the lynx decrease, the hare are able to
increase back. This cycle will occur continuously.
In the third run, we increase the size of 1 time lynx harvest to 610. From the graph we
can observed that the different in the form of the size of both populations involved the
occurrence of the flux in the graph. The flux that occur in this cyclic relationship is what allows
for the ecosystem dynamic to work. Without flux, vegetation would not have a chance to recover
from the hare populations continuous eating, and without vegetation, the hare population could
no longer exist in its habitat. The most important thing is that, the concept of the cycle is remain
the same which is when the populations size of the lynx increase, the size of population of the
hares decrease. Therefore, we can say that the size of lynx depends on the size of hare.
In the dynamics of a single population, we typically take into consideration of some
factor such as natural growth rate and the carrying capacity of the environment. Mathematical
ecology required the study of the populations that interact, thereby affecting each others growth
rates. In this model and simulation, we had study about an interaction, in which there are exactly
two species, one of which we called a predator that eats the other prey. Such pairs exist
throughout nature such as lynx and hares. Factors such as disease, food supply, and other
predators are variables in this complex relationship.
Every years reproduction rate of hares increases. As more hares are born, they eat more of
their food supply. They eat so much food that they are forced to supplement their diet with less
desirable and nutritious food. As the hare population size grows, the lynx population size begins
to increase in response. Because they are so many hares, other predators opportunistically begin
to hunt them along with the lynxes. The hares less nutritious and varied diet begins to have an
effect, the hares begin to die due illness and disease. Fewer hare are born because there is less
food. The hare population size begins to go into a steep declines. Therefore, the lynx population
also begins to decline. Some lynxes starve and others die due to diseases.

5.0 Conclusion
In a conclusion, Stella or computer simulation system is suitable to be applied in Malaysian
School. This is because, this computer simulation give many advantages to the students. It helps
students to visualize the data and enable them to see the pattern and draw a conclusion that
would otherwise be difficult to discern. Since the amount of real-world data that can be collected
in domain such this may be massive, computers are essential for storing, and analyzing the
patterns inherent in the data. Within this model and simulation, the discipline that I consider is
biology, specifically the study of population growth in a predator-prey relationship on the
Canada lynx and the snowshoe hare.
Besides, considerable research worldwide has established the need to improve teaching
and learning of Geography through development and use of appropriate media. However,
teachers of Geography were observed to predominantly use educational resources that
incorporate only two dimensions (2D), such as chalkboard illustrations, wall maps, charts and
posters. These may not help learners certain abstract concepts such as spatial orientation, motion
and changes in time, place and location. There is currently no inclusion of real-world learning
contexts in the traditional classroom setting. Therefore, in my opinion, I think that by using
simulation and modeling in teaching and learning process can boost students performances as
the learning process will be more interesting and stimulating.

References
In order for us to complete our assignment, we have been looking for information from various
websites. These are the websites that provide us with the information:
1. http://cpanel.stpaulsscience.org/gceict/specifications/wjec/unit1/model/simulation/adv.ht
m
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STELLA_(programming_language)
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modeling_and_simulation