IV109 Modeling and Simulation

Faculty of Informatics
Spring 2008
Extent and Intensity
2/1. 3 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Radek Pelánek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Mojmír Křetínský, CSc.
Department of Computer Science – Faculty of Informatics
Timetable
Wed 8:00–9:50 B204
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
IV109/01: each even Thursday 16:00–17:50 B311, R. Pelánek
IV109/02: each odd Thursday 16:00–17:50 B311, R. Pelánek
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 37 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Modeling and simulation help us to study "systems"; a "system" can be a bridge, a fox population, a molecule, a group of friends, the Earth. Although these are very diverse entities, basic modeling principles and contributions of modeling and simulation are usually similar. They enable us to create and test hypothesises about the functionality of systems; to design better systems; to experiment with effects of modification of systems; to predict the future development of systems.
The main contribution of modeling and simulation is that they force us to think. We have to think about what to include in the model, what to abstract, how to formulate relation between different parts of the system, etc. This force us to think about the system in new ways. Simulation opens eyes. It shows unexpected connections, results. And simulation also forces us to think. Why does the model behive in this way? Does the behaviour correspond to the real system? What are the consequences?
This course is an general introduction into modeling and simulation and an overview of several different approaches. We will study the following approaches: system dynamics modeling, agent based modeling, modeling of networks. We will apply modeling to problems from different application domains: economy, ecology, sociology, environmental problems. The goal of the course is not to master single modeling methodology, but to get acquainted with several different methods and to learn to think in new ways.
Syllabus
  • Introduction, history, role of modeling and simulation in research, applications.
  • System thinking, feedback.
  • System dynamics approach: basic principles, simulation and analysis methods, case study "Limits to growth". Examples and exercises in Stella.
  • Agent based modeling: basic principles, cellular automata, cooperation, adaptation. Examples and exercises in NetLogo.
  • Modeling of networks: examples of networks and their properties, random graphs, small-world model, scale-free networks, dynamic processes on networks. Excercises with Pajek.
  • Examples from different areas (economics, traffic, biology, ...)
Literature
  • BARABÁSI, Albert-László. Linked :how everything is connected to everything else and what it means for business, science, and everyday life. New York: Plume Book, 2003, 294 s. ISBN 0-452-28439-2. info
  • WEINBERG, Gerald M. An introduction to general systems thinking. New York: Dorset House Publishing, 2001, xxi, 279 s. ISBN 0-932633-49-8. info
  • RESNICK, Mitchel. Turtles, termites, and traffic jams : explorations in massively parallel microworlds. Cambridge: Bradford Book, 2000, xviii, 163. ISBN 0-262-68093-9. info
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Závěrečné hodnocení se skládá z 40% z projektu, který spočívá v modelování a simulaci vybraného problému v jednom z nástrojů probíraných na přednášce, ze 40% ze závečné písemné zkoušky a z 20% z "čtenářského deníku".
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
http://www.fi.muni.cz/~xpelanek/IV109/
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2008, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fi/spring2008/IV109