Modeling Ecosystems and Climates A Teaching Simulator for Systems - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Modeling Ecosystems and Climates A Teaching Simulator for Systems Dynamics Work Partially Brian S. Blais supported from NASA Rhode Science and Technology Island Space Grant Consortium Bryant University Introducing Systems Stock and
A Teaching Simulator for Systems Dynamics
Work Partially supported from NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium
Stock and flow Diagrams differential equations
d(mice) dt = +b(mice) − d(mice) mice′ = +b(mice) − d(mice) b = 1.1 d = 0.08
Spreadsheet Excel, Numbers, Google Spreadsheet Graphical Stella, Powersim, Vensim, Simile
Spreadsheet Graphical
Pros Cons
Students already Familiar Does not Scale Well Students Write the Simulation Itself Equations can get Messy Numerical Instabilities
Spreadsheet Graphical
Pros Cons
Nice Interface for Simple Systems Commercial Learning Curve Cumbersome with Large Systems Not extensible
Easy language nasa, google free scientific computing support
Wolf Deer Births Deaths Deaths Births
r · deer r · deer2/K c · deer · wolf Wd · wolf D · deer · wolf
Newton’s Law of Cooling Energy Balance
White daisies Black daisies Available fertile land
Better user interface 2-D, 3-D, N-D equations
Work Partially supported from NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium