Simulation in an interactive computer environment

Abstract

This thesis is a report of an investigation into the possible advantages to be gained by running computer simulations interactively. Models relevant to administrative, teaching and research work were constructed for the study, and the merits of the interactive use of deterministic models, stochastic equations and Monte-Carlo simulations were examined. In order to be able to draw worthwhile conclusions from the investigation it was necessary to study sustantial systems which had proved to require computer simulation for their elucidation. The first model described is a deterministic portrayal of the use of university lecture rooms which was written as an aid towards evaluating the need for additional rooms in an expanding university. The part played by interaction is to make easier the incorpration of human experience into the planning mechanism. Population genetics provided the next system, and it is shown how a model using a set of stochastic equations in conjunction with fast graphical output may be of value in teaching. A Monte-Carlo approach is demonstrated to be unsuitable for interactive use. The final simulation also employs stochastic equations, designed to represent a system from the field of cell cycle kinetics whose action is not fully understood. Using the model interactively allows the researcher to form an appreciation of the consequences of altering its parameters and to fit experimental data with more perception than is possible using purely algorithmic methods. Introductions are given to the two biological systems dealt with, so that the results of using the models can be discussed in relation to the genetics and cytokinetics Lnvo lved as well as purely in the context of the interactive use of simulmtion.