Topic 12. Program execution.

Topic 12. Program execution.

Тext. Computer simulation.

Computer simulation is the use of a computer to represent the dynamic responses of one system by the behavior of another system modeled after it. A simulation uses a mathematical description, or model, of a real system in the form of a computer program. This model is composed of equations that duplicate the functional relationships within the real system. When the program is run, the resulting mathematical dynamics form an analog of the behavior of the real system, with the results presented in the form of data. A simulation can also take the form of a computer-graphics image that represents dynamic processes in an animated sequence.

Computer simulations are used to study the dynamic behavior of objects or systems in response to conditions that cannot be easily or safely applied in real life. For example, a nuclear blast can be described by a mathematical model that incorporates such variables as heat, velocity, and radioactive emissions. Additional mathematical equations can then be used to adjust the model to changes in certain variables, such as the amount of fissionable material that produced the blast. Simulations are especially useful in enabling observers to measure and predict how the functioning of an entire system may be affected by altering individual components within that system.

The simpler simulations performed by personal computers consist mainly of business models and geometric models. The former includes spreadsheet, financial and statistical software programs that are used in business analysis and planning.

Virtual reality (VR), the use of computer modeling and simulation that enables a person to interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D) visual or other sensory environment. VR applications immerse the user in a computer-generated environment that simulates reality through the use of interactive devices, which send and receive information and are worn as goggles, headsets, gloves, or body suits. In a typical VR format, a user wearing a helmet with a stereoscopic screen views animated images of a simulated environment. The illusion of “being there” (telepresence) is effected by motion sensors that pick up the user’s movements and adjust the view on the screen accordingly, usually in real time (the instant the user’s movement takes place). Thus, a user can tour a simulated suite of rooms, experiencing changing viewpoints and perspectives that are convincingly related to his own head turnings and steps. Wearing data gloves equipped with force-feedback devices that provide the sensation of touch, the user can even pick up and manipulate objects that he sees in the virtual environment.

Требования к выполнению задания:

1. Прочитать текст (устно).

2. Выполнить адекватный перевод (устно + запись новых слов в тетрадь).

3. Задать к тексту 3 вопроса письменно в тетради.

4. Ответить на вопросы письменно в тетради:

a) What is the computer simulation?

b) Where are computer simulations used?

c) Could you give short definition of Virtual reality?

d) Have you ever used VR model and where can we find it in our everyday life?