Publisher's Synopsis
Examining recent research in discrete-event simulation, this book puts forward a strategy for the description of systems subject to time advance. In contrast to most simulation texts, the book emphasizes descriptive, as opposed to statistical, issues, which revolve around the central problem of strategy, or the manner of sequentializing a system with components evolving in parallel. In doing so, alternative approaches to problems in artificial intelligence (AI), comprising real-world description, time-elapse and planning, are suggested.;By tackling the essentially linguistic problem of describing a dynamic system in formal terms, the book shows how discrete-event simulation, which originated from a statistical model, has evolved into a technique which can be broadly applied to areas where steady-state arguments are of little value. Through this work, readers will be able to understand the requirements of simulation as a component of computing practice through the design of algorithms, software, methodologies and languages.
