Irina Kukuyeva

English

Research Papers in Economics

JSS Journal of Statistical Software
September 2009, Volume 31, Book Review 3. http://www.jstatsoft.org/
Reviewer: Irina Kukuyeva
University of California at Los Angeles
Principles of Modeling and Simulation: A Multidisciplinary Approach
John A. Sokolowski and Catherine M. Banks (eds.)
John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2009.
ISBN 978-0-470-28943-3. xiii+259 pp. USD 94.95 (H).
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470289430.html
Introduction
For anyone who wants to learn about modeling and simulation, \there are no `Departments
of Simulation' at Universities"(254). In turn, interested students should turn to Principles of
Modeling and Simulation to learn about modeling and simulation techniques { the rst book
to cover applications across a multitude of disciplines.
Book Contents
The book is broken up into three parts: an overview of modeling and simulation (Part I, two
chapters) as well as their various aspects (Part II, four chapters) and applications (Part III,
three chapters). Each chapter is written by an expert in the eld and concludes with a sum-
mary, a list of key terms, and an extensive list of references for further reading. Furthermore,
the chapters in the book consecutively outline the steps needed to perform modeling and
simulation successfully in a variety of elds and softwares and are outlined below.
Chapter 1, What Is Modeling and Simulation? (Catherine M. Banks), motivates the use of
modeling and simulation as a means of learning about processes for which data is not available
in the real world (for a myriad of reasons). It introduces the readers to the history of modeling
and simulation, some applications (to be covered in more detail in later chapters) as well as
the advantages and disadvantages to both techniques.
Chapter 2, The Role of Modeling and Simulation (Paul F. Reynolds, Jr.), introduces the
readers to uses of simulations: for problem-solving (assuming complete knowledge of the
phenomenon of interest) and for information gathering (assuming incomplete knowledge of
the phenomenon of interest) and suggests questions to be answered by the simulation in either
of those cases. Both concepts are explored in application to coin tossing and nuclear waste
management.2 Principles of Modeling and Simulation: A Multidisciplinary Approach
Chapter 3, Simulation: Models That Vary over Time (John A. Sokolowski), denes and
discussestwo types of simulations: discrete event and continuous simulations. In the case
of discrete event simulation, the readers are shown how to simulate customer waiting times
when serviced by one clerk. To better understand continuous simulation (where equations
may describe the processes), the author discusses simulations of a falling ball and a spreading
of a disease. All three examples are explained via formulas and screen shots from a spreadsheet
software.
Chapter 4, Queue Modeling and Simulation (Paul A. Fishwick, Hyungwook Park), provides
further insight into queuing systems. It denes key queuing modeling terms and provides
source code in SimPack and Processing for implementing a simulation for a queuing model
with a single clerk.
Chapter 5, Human Interaction with Simulations (Michael P. Bailey, Ahmed K. Noor), is
divided into two parts. The rst part covers introductory statistics and the assumptions
behind them as one approach to analyze the results from a simulation. Then the theory is
applied to determine the optimal time of day to arrive at a security check point. The second
part of the chapter discusses visualization tools as they aid in the analysis of simulation data.
Chapter 6, Verication and Validation (Mikel D. Petty), motivates, denes and distinguishes
between the two techniques which are vital to making a reliable and credible model. It also
stresses the challenges of verication and validation, the methodology available to carry out
the techniques, and the importance of assumptions behind them. The example of a falling
ball is revisited (this time coded in C) and three potential models are explored to determine
which is best.
Chapter 7, Uses of Simulation (Tuncer I.  Oren), is composed of two parts. The rst part
introduces two aspects of simulation: performing experiments and providing experience. The
second part provides extensive references for areas of application for simulation as well as
organizations involved in simulation in the United States and abroad.
Chapter 8, Modeling and Simulation: Real-World Examples (Michael D. Fontaine, David
P. Cook, C. Donald Combs, John A, Sokolowski, Catherine M. Banks), covers modeling
and simulation applied to transportation, business, medicine and the social sciences. For
the applications in the elds of transportation, business and the social sciences, the authors
discuss the steps taken to develop a successful project, including calibrating models and using
appropriate software. In the medical sphere, the author discusses the aspects of medical
training via simulations for doctors at all levels of expertise.
Chapter 9, The Future of Simulation (R. Bowen Loftin), presents the author's subjective
hypotheses which stress the importance of adaptive interfaces (generic interfaces that can be
targeted for simulations) as well as education in modeling and simulation as the stepping
stones into the future.
Conclusion
The only prerequisites for the book are college-level algebra and familiarity with spreadsheet
software. While the textbook is appropriate for an upper-level undergraduate course or an
introductory graduate course, readers from all levels of experience will benet from the book.
Whether it is learning about a novel application of modeling and simulation, the nuances
that come with it, or the software to implement it in, Principles of Modeling and SimulationJournal of Statistical Software { Book Reviews 3
sharpens the intuition. No matter your sphere of expertise: you do not need to hold a Physics
degree or be a Medical doctor to follow and appreciate applications of modeling and simulation
in those disciplines as described in the book.
On a nal note, there are some typos in the book: p. 65, the references to Equations 3.4{3.6
should refer to Equations 3.8{3.10 and the corresponding equation in the spreadsheet should
be B2-($F$2*B2*C2)*$H$2 instead of B2-($G$2*B2*C2)*$I$2; p. 160 should say \military
personnel"not\military personal"; on p. 186, the value calculated above Table 8-2 should be
4,770,000 instead of 3,040,000.
Reviewer:
Irina Kukuyeva
University of California at Los Angeles
Department of Statistics
8125 Math Sciences Building, Box 951554
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1554, United States of America
E-mail: ikukuyeva@stat.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.stat.ucla.edu/~ikukuyeva/
Journal of Statistical Software http://www.jstatsoft.org/
published by the American Statistical Association http://www.amstat.org/
Volume 31, Book Review 3 Published: 2009-09-25
September 2009

Principles of Modeling and Simulation: A Multidisciplinary Approach

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