A Perspective on Modeling and Simulation of Complex Dynamical Systems

There has been an amazing development of modeling and simulation from its beginning in the 1920s, when the technology was available only at a handful of University groups who had access to a mechanical differential analyzer. Today, tools for modeling and simulation are available for every student and engineer. This paper gives a perspective on the development with particular emphasis on technology and paradigm shifts. Modeling is increasingly important for design and operation of complex natural and man-made systems. Because of the increased use of model based control such as Kalman filters and model predictive control, models are also appearing as components of feedback systems. Modeling and simulation are multidisciplinary, it is used in a wide variety of fields and their development have been strongly influenced by mathematics, numerics, computer science and computer technology