Students will define simulation as an abstraction that represents varying sets of values to reflect the changing state of a phenomenon.
Students will explain how simulations often mimic real word events with the purpose of drawing inferences, allowing investigation of a phenomenon without the constraints of the real world.
Students will list advantages and disadvantages of simulations.
Students will describe how simulations can contain bias.
Computer simulations can be used to represent real-world phenomena or outcomes. Simulations can help with training, predicting, education, etc. In this section, students explore simulation games and then learn about the different uses of simulations through watching a video and exploring simulations related to their selected innovation. Students will list advantages and disadvantages to simulations as well as evaluate the potential for bias in simulations.
Activity 5.5.1 (20 minutes)
Select an online simulation game for students to play. Or let them select one that interests them. This site has a lot of options.
Give them 15 minutes to play. Have them stop and give a quick summary of what their game was about.
Ask students to define simulation. Emphasize these points...
Simulations are abstractions of more complex objects or phenomena for a specific purpose.
Simulations are representations that use varying sets of values to reflect the changing state of a phenomenon.
Simulations often mimic real-world events with the purpose of drawing inferences, allowing investigation of a phenomenon without the constraints of the real world.
Simulations are most useful when real-world events are impractical for experiments (e.g., too big, too small, too fast, too slow, too expensive, or too dangerous).
How are simulations used in various industries?
What are some positive effects of simulation games? Harmful effects? Impact?
Activity 5.5.2 (30 minutes)
Introduce students to different types of simulations and different uses for simulations
There are different types of simulations and they can be used for more than games. This video explains the concepts of simulation and modeling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-6zxImekOE
Emphasize that simulations take current data and analyze it to make predictions.
Give students 15 minutes to find a simulation that is related to their team's selected innovation or topic. Have the students build a collaborative slideshow. Each student or team adds a slide describing the simulation and what how it is being used.
Share the slideshow with the class so that all students can see a variety of simulations.
Have students complete this set of summary notes on simulations.
For more information...
Activity 5.5.3 (10 minutes)
Pose a few thought questions for a think-pair-share activity.
Does a simulation give you a precise, exact answer or solution?
If it does not give you an exact solution, is the information gathered from a simulation valuable?
Discuss and introduce the concept of Heuristic Solutions. A heuristic approach is used to rapidly come to a solution that is hoped to be close enough to the best possible answer. They are commonly referred to as educated guesses. Heuristic solutions are used when techniques that are guaranteed to always find an optimal solution are impractical. There isn't enough time, computing power or money available to get a precise answer so a solution that is "good enough" is found. One example is weather forecasting. The ability to precisely state the exact moment rain will start at an exact location is impractical. However, using simulations and patterns can help predict the likelihood and give us useful information. Conversely, there are situations where we demand an exact solution. Students don't want to know "kind of" what they got on a test. They want a precise answer, even it if takes the teacher a long time to grade them. Doctors don't want a guess of a patient's blood pressure. They want to know a patients exact blood pressure at a given point.
Have students share other examples of heuristic solutions.
Activity 5.5.2 Summary Notes on Simulations (student resource)
Activity 5.5.2 Summary Notes on Simulations KEY (teacher resource)