Eli5: What is the difference between Emulation and Simulation?
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In regards to computers…
Emulation is using a program to behave like a different computer would.
Simulation is using a program to model something in the real world.
An important distinguishing factor for me is that emulation goes through the exact same logical steps of the system it is behaving as. If you asked the original system to perform something. The emulation should behave identically. Emulation is not possible for real world systems, such as living organisms, because it is impossible to know every detail in the chemistry/physics/biology of something in the real world. Advancements in emulation technology are usually attempts to make the emulation run faster or more efficiently.
In a simulation, it is not so critical that it is perfectly equivalent to the system that is being simulated. A simulation should give a good approximation of what another system will behave like. Advancements to simulations are usually attempts to make the simulation more accurate.
TLDR: Emulation prioritizes perfect recreation of another system, and it might compromise on running quickly/smoothly. Simulation prioritizes accurate representation of another system, without capturing every detail perfectly.
Note – this is how I understand and use these words, not an official definition.
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