Simulation
A simulator is a collection of hardware and software systems which are used to mimic the behaviour of some entity or phenomenon. Typically, the entity or phenomenon being simulated is from the domain of the tangible -- ranging from the operation of integrated circuits to behaviour of a light aircraft during wind sheer. Simulators may also be used to analyze and verify theoretical models which may be too difficult to grasp from a purely conceptual level. Such phenomenon range from examination of black holes to the study of highly abstract models of computation. As such, simulators provide a crucial role in both industry and academia.
Despite the increasing recognition of simulators as a viable and necessary research tool, one must constantly be aware of the potential problems which simulators may introduce. Many of the problems are related to the computational limitations of existing hardware platforms but are quickly being overcome as more powerful platforms are introduced. Other problems, unfortunately, are inherent within simulators and are related to the complexity associated with the systems being simulated. This section highlights some of the major advantages and disadvantages posed by modern day simulators.
Advantages of Simulation
One of the primary advantages of simulators is that they are able to provide users with practical feedback when designing real world systems. This allows the designer to determine the correctness and efficiency of a design before the system is actually constructed. Consequently, the user may explore the merits of alternative designs without actually physically building the systems. By investigating the effects of specific design decisions during the design phase rather than the construction phase, the overall cost of building the system diminishes significantly. As an example, consider the design and fabrication of integrated circuits. During the design phase, the designer is presented with a myriad of decisions regarding such things as the placement of components and the routing of the connecting wires. It would be very costly to actually fabricate all of the potential designs as a means of evaluating their respective performance. Through the use of a simulator, however, the user may investigate the relative superiority of each design without actually fabricating the circuits themselves. By mimicking the behaviour of the designs, the circuit simulator is able to provide the designer with information pertaining to the correctness and efficiency of alternate designs. After carefully weighing the ramifications of each design, the best circuit may then be fabricated.
Another benefit of simulators is that they permit system designers to study a problem at several different levels of abstraction. By approaching a system at a higher level of abstraction, the designer is better able to understand the behaviours and interactions of all the high level components within the system and is therefore better equipped to counteract the complexity of the overall system. This complexity may simply overwhelm the designer if the problem had been approached from a lower level. As the designer better understands the operation of the higher level components through the use of the simulator, the lower level components may then be designed and subsequently simulated for verification and performance evaluation. The entire system may be built based upon this ``top-down'' technique. This approach is often referred to as hierarchical decomposition and is essential in any design tool and simulator which deals with the construction of complex systems. For example, with respect to circuits, it is often useful to think of a microprocessor in terms of its registers, arithmetic logic units, multiplexors and control units. A simulator which permits the construction, interconnection and subsequent simulation of these higher level entities is much more useful than a simulator which only lets the designer build and connect simple logic gates. Working at a higher level abstraction also facilitates rapid prototyping in which preliminary systems are designed quickly for the purpose of studying the feasibility and practicality of the high-level design.
Thirdly, simulators can be used as an effective means for teaching or demonstrating concepts to students. This is particularly true of simulators that make intelligent use of computer graphics and animation. Such simulators dynamically show the behaviour and relationship of all the simulated system's components, thereby providing the user with a meaningful understanding of the system's nature. Consider again, for example, a circuit simulator. By showing the paths taken by signals as inputs are consumed by components and outputs are produced over their respective fanout, the student can actually see what is happening within the circuit and is therefore left with a better understanding for the dynamics of the circuit. Such a simulator should also permit students to speed up, slow down, stop or even reverse a simulation as a means of aiding understanding. This is particularly true when simulating circuits which contain feedback loops or other operations which are not immediately intuitive upon an initial investigation. During the presentation of the design and implementation of the simulator in this report, it will be shown how the above positive attributes have been or can be incorporated both in the simulator engine and its user interface.
RESEARCH AND ITS METHODOLOGY:
a way of examining your practice…
Research is undertaken within most professions.
More than a set of skills, it is a way of thinking: examining critically the various aspects of your professional work. It is a habit of questioning what you do, and a systematic examination of the observed information to find answers with a view to instituting appropriate changes for a more effective professional service.
DEFINITION OF RESEARCH
When you say that you are undertaking a research study to find answers to a question, you are implying that the process;
1. Is being undertaken within a framework of a set of philosophies (approaches);
2. uses procedures, methods and techniques that have been tested for their validity and reliability;
3. Is designed to be unbiased and objective.
Philosophies mean approaches e.g. qualitative, quantitative and the academic discipline in which you have been trained. Validity means that correct procedures have been applied to find answers to a question. Reliability refers to the quality of a measurement procedure that provides repeatability and accuracy. Unbiased and objective means that you have taken each step in an unbiased manner and drawn each conclusion to the best of your ability and without introducing your own vested interest.
(Bias is a deliberate attempt to either conceal or highlight something).
Adherence to the three criteria mentioned above enables the process to be called ‘research’. However, the degree to which these criteria are expected to be fulfilled varies from discipline to discipline and so the meaning of ‘research’ differs from one academic discipline to another.
The difference between research and non-research activity is, in the way we find answers: the process must meet certain requirements to be called research. We can identify these requirements by examining some definitions of research. The word research is composed of two syllables, re and search. Re is a prefix meaning again, anew or over again, search is a verb meaning to examine closely and carefully, to test and try, or to probe. Together they form a noun describing a careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to establish facts or principles. Research is a structured enquiry that utilizes acceptable scientific methodology to solve problems and create new knowledge that is generally applicable. Scientific methods consist of systematic observation, classification and interpretation of data. Although we engage in such process in our daily life, the difference between our casual day- to-day generalizations and the conclusions usually recognized as scientific method lies in the degree of formality, rigorousness, verifiability and general validity of latter.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH:
Research is a process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting information to answer questions. But to qualify as research, the process must have certain characteristics: it must, as far as possible, be controlled, rigorous, systematic, valid and verifiable, empirical and critical.
-Controlled- in real life there are many factors that affect an outcome. The concept of control implies that, in exploring causality in relation to two variables (factors), you set up your study in a way that minimizes the effects of other factors affecting the relationship. This can be achieved to a large extent in the physical sciences (cookery, bakery), as most of the research is done in a laboratory. However, in the social sciences (Hospitality and Tourism) it is extremely difficult as research is carried out on issues related to human beings living in society, where such controls are not possible. Therefore in Hospitality and Tourism, as you cannot control external factors, you attempt to quantify their impact.
-Rigorous-you must be scrupulous in ensuring that the procedures followed to find answers to questions are relevant, appropriate and justified. Again, the degree of rigor varies markedly between the physical and social sciences and within the social sciences.
-Systematic-this implies that the procedure adopted to undertake an investigation follow a certain logical sequence. The different steps cannot be taken in a haphazard way. Some procedures must follow others.
-Valid and verifiable-this concept implies that whatever you conclude on the basis of your findings is correct and can be verified by you and others.
-Empirical-this means that any conclusions drawn are based upon hard evidence gathered from information collected from real life experiences or observations.
-Critical-critical scrutiny of the procedures used and the methods employed is crucial to a research enquiry. The process of investigation must be foolproof and free from drawbacks. The process adopted and the procedures used must be able to withstand critical scrutiny.
For a process to be called research, it is imperative that it has the above characteristics.
TYPES OF RESEARCH
Research can be classified from three perspectives:
1. Application of research study
2. Objectives in undertaking the research
3. Inquiry mode employed
Application:
From the point of view of application, there are two broad categories of research:
- Pure research and
- Applied research.
Pure research involves developing and testing theories and hypotheses that are intellectually challenging to the researcher but may or may not have practical application at the present time or in the future. The knowledge produced through pure research is sought in order to add to the existing body of research methods.
Applied research is done to solve specific, practical questions; for policy formulation, administration and understanding of a phenomenon. It can be exploratory, but is usually descriptive. It is almost always done on the basis of basic research. Applied research can be carried out by academic or industrial institutions. Often, an academic institution such as a university will have a specific applied research program funded by an industrial partner interested in that program.
Objectives:
From the viewpoint of objectives, a research can be classified as
-descriptive
-co relational
-explanatory
-exploratory
Descriptive research attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem, phenomenon, service or program, or provides information about , say, living condition of a community, or describes attitudes towards an issue.
Co relational research attempts to discover or establish the existence of a relationship/ interdependence between two or more aspects of a situation.
Explanatory research attempts to clarify why and how there is a relationship between two or more aspects of a situation or phenomenon.
Exploratory research is undertaken to explore an area where little is known or to investigate the possibilities of undertaking a particular research study (feasibility study / pilot study).
In practice most studies are a combination of the first three categories.
Inquiry Mode:
From the process adopted to find answer to research questions – the two approaches are:
- Structured approach
- Unstructured approach
Structured approach:
The structured approach to inquiry is usually classified as quantitative research. Here everything that forms the research process- objectives, design, sample, and the questions that you plan to ask of respondents- is predetermined.
It is more appropriate to determine the extent of a problem, issue or phenomenon by quantifying the variation. e.g. how many people have a particular problem? How many people hold a particular attitude?
Unstructured approach:
The unstructured approach to inquiry is usually classified as qualitative research. This approach allows flexibility in all aspects of the research process. It is more appropriate to explore the nature of a problem, issue or phenomenon without quantifying it. Main objective is to describe the variation in a phenomenon, situation or attitude. e.g., description of an observed situation, the historical enumeration of events, an account of different opinions different people have about an issue, description of working condition in a particular industry. Both approaches have their place in research. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. In many studies you have to combine both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
For example, suppose you have to find the types of cuisine / accommodation available in a city and the extent of their popularity. Types of cuisine are the qualitative aspect of the study as finding out about them entails description of the culture and cuisine. The extent of their popularity is the quantitative aspect as it involves estimating the number of people who visit restaurant serving such cuisine and calculating the other indicators that reflect the extent of popularity.
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
The research process is similar to undertaking a journey.
For a research journey there are two important decisions to make-
1) What you want to find out about or what research questions (problems) you want to find answers to;
2) How to go about finding their answers.
There are practical steps through which you must pass in your research journey in order to find answers to your research questions. The path to finding answers to your research questions constitutes research methodology. At each operational step in the research process you are required to choose from a multiplicity of methods, procedures and models of research methodology which will help you to best achieve your objectives.
This is where your knowledge base of research methodology plays a crucial role.
Steps in Research Process:
1. Formulating the Research Problem
2. Extensive Literature Review
3. Developing the objectives
4. Preparing the Research Design including Sample Design
5. Collecting the Data
6. Analysis of Data
7. Generalization and Interpretation
8. Preparation of the Report or Presentation of Results-Formal write ups of conclusions reached.
Prepared by Shahid Rashid
