Eli5: What is the difference between Emulation and Simulation?
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Emulation is to copy something, usually looking to copy the outcome. An artist’s render of a truck is a kind of emulation.
Simulation is to copy part of something and change other bits so you can see what happens. A wind tunnel test of a truck is a type of simulation.
In the emulation you’re just trying to copy something about the truck, in this case how it looks. In the simulation you’re trying to see what happens when you test the truck with different settings.
Non eli5 part: when testing a new material you might do a physical test and emulate it until you get similar results in an FEA model. Now you’ll know the important variables. Then you can use that information to build simulations under slightly different circumstances (different shapes, sizes, loads)
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