Advantage & Disadvantages and applications of simulation

1. Advantages of Simulation
 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.
 Can speed things up or slow them down to see changes over long or short periods of time.
 Simulations can be slowed down to study behaviour more closely.
 Real life complications can made easy.
 “Time compression” is possible.
 Able to test a product or system works before building it.
 Can use it to find unexpected problems.
 Able to explore ‘what if…’ questions.
 Results are accurate in general, compared to analytical model.
 It helps us to identify bottlenecks in material, information and product flows.
 It helps us to gain insight into which variables are most important to system performance.

2. Disadvantages Of simulation
Expensive to build a simulation model.
Expensive to conduct simulation.
Sometimes it is difficult to interpret the simulation results.
To simulate something, a thorough understanding is needed and an awareness of all the factors
involved. Without this, a simulation cannot be created.
Mistakes may be made in the programming or rules of the simulation or model.
Time may be needed to make sense of the results.
People’s reactions to the model or simulation might not be realistic or reliable.
The quality of the analysis depends on the quality of the model and the skills of the modeller, who
requires specialised training.
It is time consuming.
Not all situations can be evaluated using simulation. Only situations involving uncertainty are
candidates, and without a random component, all simulated experiments would produce the same
answer.
Not 100% accurate.

3. Areas Of Application
Manufacturing applications
Construction engineering and project management
Military application
Transportation modes and traffic
Learning environment
Business process simulation
Health care
Network simulation

4. Manufacturing applications:

5. Construction engineering and project management :

6. Military application :

7. Business process simulation:

8. Transportation modes and traffic:

9. Learning environment :

10. Health care :

11. Network simulation: