SYSC 4005

Discrete Simulation/Modeling
Calendar description
Simulation as a problem-solving tool. Random variable generation, general discrete
simulation procedure: event table and statistical gathering. Analyses of simulation data:
point and interval estimation. Confidence intervals. Overview of modeling, simulation,
and problem solving using SIMSCRIPT, MODSIM, and other languages.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Lectures three hours a week, laboratory one hour a week.
http://calendar.carleton.ca/undergrad/courses/SYSC/

Prerequisites
(ECOR 2050 or SYSC 2510 or STAT 2605 or STAT 3502) and fourth-year status in
Engineering, or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as SYSC 5001, for which
additional credit is precluded.

Prior knowledge
Students should:
• Have knowledge of basic probability theory.
• Have knowledge of a high-level programming language such as C++, Java, or
Python.

Course objectives
The goal of the course is to provide the basic background for modeling and computer
simulation of systems. Emphasis is placed on the design of simulation experiments and
the correct interpretation of the associated statistical results. The course includes a brief
overview of simulation languages and probability theory. If time permits, special topics
such as design of experiments and variance reduction techniques will be discussed.

List of topics
• Introduction to Simulation
• General Principles
• Simulation Software
• Statistical Models
 • Input Modeling
• Random-Number Generation
• Random-Variate Generation
• Verification and Validation
• Performance Estimation
• Queueing Models
• Variance Reduction Techniques

Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should:
• Know how to solve a problem using simulation and modeling approach.
• Know how to use common probability models.
• Know how to use basic queueing models.
• Be able to analyze and model input data.
• Know how to generate random variates.
• Be able to design and implement simulation models.
• Know how to verify and validate a simulation model.
• Know how to plan and conduct simulations.
• Know how to estimate system performance.
• Be able to process output data and assess different design alternatives.
• Know how to write a project report.
• Be able to complete a project in a team.
• Be able to use different software tools (MATLAB, GPSS, spreadsheet, etc.) to
conduct simulation.

Graduate Attributes (GAs)

The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board requires graduates of engineering
programs to possess 12 attributes at the time of graduation. There are no GA’s related
to this course. For more information, please visit: https://engineerscanada.ca/.

Accreditation Units (AUs)

For more information about Accreditation Units, please visit:
https://engineerscanada.ca/.
The course has a total of 44 AUs, divided into:
• Engineering Science: 50%
• Engineering Design: 50%

Instructor and TA contact

Professor C. Huang
Room 4486ME
Tel: 520-2600 ext. 5730
Email: huang@sce.carleton.ca
http://www.sce.carleton.ca/faculty/huang/huang.html

TA Contacts
Stone Liu, stoneliu@cmail.carleton.ca
Tadhg McDonald-Jensen, tadhgmcdonaldjensen@cmail.carleton.ca

Textbook (or other resources)

J. Banks, J. C. Carson II, B. L. Nelson, and D. M. Nicol, Discrete-Event System
Simulation, 5/E, ISBN-10:0136062121, ISBN-13: 9780136062127, Pearson, 2010
Other References:
Lawrence M. Leemis and S. K. Park, Discrete-Event Simulation: A First Course,
Pearson Education, 2006
H. Perros, Computer Simulation Techniques: The definitive introduction!
https://people.engr.ncsu.edu/hp/files/simulation.pdf
Sheldon Ross, Simulation, Academic Press; 5th edition (November 5, 2012)
M. Law and W. D. Kelton, Simulation Modeling & Analysis, New York: McGraw-Hill,
1991
P. A. Fishwick, Simulation Model Design and Execution, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall
W. H. Press, B. P. Flannery, S. A. Teukolsky, and W. T. Vetterling, Numerical Recipes
in C, Second Edition, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992
M. C. Jeruchim, P. Balaban, and K. S. Shanmugan, Simulation of Communication
Systems, Plenum Press, 1992
P. Bratley, B. L. Fox, and L. Schrage, A Guide to Simulation, New York: Springer-
Verlag, 1987
G. Gordon, System Simulation, Prentice Hall, 2nd edition, 1977
I. Stahl., Introduction to Simulation with GPSS on the PC, Macintosh and VAX, Prentice
Hall, 1990

Evaluation and grading scheme

Participation 20%
Midterm 10%
Project 20%
Final Exam 50%
e-Proctoring
Please note that tests and examinations in this course will use a remote proctoring
service provided by Scheduling and Examination Services. You can find more
information at https://carleton.ca/ses/e-proctoring/

a) Term work
Students who claim illness, injury or other extraordinary circumstances beyond
their control as a reason for missed term work are held responsible for
immediately informing the instructor concerned and for making alternate
arrangements with the instructor and in all cases this must occur no later than
three (3) days after the term work was due. The alternate arrangement must be
made before the last day of classes in the term as published in the academic
schedule. Consult section 4.4 of the University Calendar:
https://calendar.carleton.ca/undergrad/regulations/academicregulationsoftheuniv
ersity/examinations/#deferred-term-work
b) Final Examination
• Final exams are for evaluation purpose and will not be returned to students.
• Students who are unable to write the final examination because of a serious
illness/emergency or other circumstances beyond their control may apply for
accommodation by contacting the Registrar’s office. Consult the Section 4.3 of
the University Calendar:
https://calendar.carleton.ca/undergrad/regulations/academicregulationsoftheuniv
ersity/examinations/

Breakdown of course requirements

1. Students are allowed to do the project in a team with up to three students per
team at most.
2. Project will include four deliverables.
3. No late assignments will be accepted.
4. Final exam will cover the whole course with more weight on the contents after
Midterm.
5. The final examination is for evaluation purposes only and will not be returned to
students. You will be able to make arrangements with the instructor or with the
department office to see your marked final examination after the final grades
have been made available.

Tentative week-by-week breakdown

1. Introduction to Simulation
2. General Principles
3. Simulation Software
4. Statistical Models
5. Input Modeling
6. Random-Number Generation
 7. Random-Variate Generation
8. Verification and Validation
9. Performance Estimation
10. Queueing Models
11. Variance Reduction Techniques
12. Special topics if time permit

Academic dates
Students should be aware of the academic dates (eg. last day for academic withdrawal)
posted on the Registrar's office web site
https://carleton.ca/registrar/registration/dates/academic-dates/

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

• Please consult the Faculty of Engineering and Design information page about the
Academic Integrity policy and our procedures: https://carleton.ca/engineering-
design/current-students/fed-academic-integrity Violations of the Academic
Integrity Policy will result in the assignment of a penalty such as reduced grades,
the assignment of an F in a course, a suspension or, expulsion.
• One of the main objectives of the Academic Integrity Policy is to ensure that the
work you submit is your own. As a result, it is important to write your own
solutions when studying and preparing with other students and to avoid
plagiarism in your submissions. The University Academic Integrity Policy defines
plagiarism as “presenting, whether intentionally or not, the ideas, expression of
ideas or work of others as one’s own.” This includes reproducing or paraphrasing
portions of someone else’s published or unpublished material, regardless of the
source, and presenting these as one’s own without proper citation or reference to
the original source.
• Examples of violations of the policy include, but are not limited to:
o any submission prepared in whole or in part, by someone else;
o using another’s data or research findings without appropriate
acknowledgement;
o submitting a computer program developed in whole or in part by someone
else, with or without modifications, as one’s own; and
o failing to acknowledge sources of information through the use of proper
citations when using another’s work and/or failing to use quotations marks.

Copyright

The materials (including the course outline and any slides, posted notes, videos, labs,
project, assignments, quizzes, exams and solutions) created for this course and posted
on this web site are intended for personal use and may not be reproduced or
redistributed or posted on any web site without prior written permission from the
author(s).
Academic Accommodations
You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the
term. For an accommodation request the processes are as follows:

• Pregnancy obligation: write to me with any requests for academic

accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after
the need for accommodation is known to exist. For accommodation regarding a
formally-scheduled final exam, you must complete the Pregnancy
Accommodation Form (click here).
• Religious obligation: write to me with any requests for academic
accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after
the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details click here.
• Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: The Paul Menton
Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) provides services to students with
Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/mental health disabilities, Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), chronic
medical conditions, and impairments in mobility, hearing, and vision. If you have
a disability requiring academic accommodations in this course, please contact
PMC at 613-520-6608 or pmc@carleton.ca for a formal evaluation. If you are
already registered with the PMC, contact your PMC coordinator to send me your
Letter of Accommodation at the beginning of the term, and no later than two
weeks before the first in-class scheduled test or exam requiring accommodation
(if applicable). After requesting accommodation from PMC, meet with me to
ensure accommodation arrangements are made. Please consult the PMC
website for the deadline to request accommodations for the formally-scheduled
exam (if applicable).
• Survivors of Sexual Violence: As a community, Carleton University is
committed to maintaining a positive learning, working and living environment
where sexual violence will not be tolerated, and where survivors are supported
through academic accommodations as per Carleton’s Sexual Violence Policy.
For more information about the services available at the university and to obtain
information about sexual violence and/or support, visit:
https://carleton.ca/equity/sexual-assault-support-services
• Accommodation for Student Activities: Carleton University recognizes the
substantial benefits, both to the individual student and for the university, that
result from a student participating in activities beyond the classroom experience.
Reasonable accommodation will be provided to students who compete or
perform at the national or international level. Write to me with any requests for
academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as
possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist.
https://carleton.ca/senate/wp-content/uploads/Accommodation-for-Student-
Activities-1.pdf

Student Mental Health Services

As a University student you may experience a range of mental health challenges that
significantly impact your academic success and overall well-being. Carleton's Wellness
Services Navigator https://wellness.carleton.ca/navigator/ is designed to help students
connect with mental health and wellness resources. If you need to talk to someone,
please reach out for assistance: https://carleton.ca/health/emergencies-and-crisis/.

Special Information for Pandemic measures

It is important to remember that COVID is still present in Ottawa. The situation can
change at any time and the risks of new variants and outbreaks are very real. There are
a number of actions you can take to lower your risk and the risk you pose to those
around you including being vaccinated, wearing a mask, staying home when you’re
sick, washing your hands and maintaining proper respiratory and cough etiquette.

Feeling sick? Remaining vigilant and not attending work or school when sick or with
symptoms is critically important. If you feel ill or exhibit COVID-19 symptoms do not
come to class or campus. If you feel ill or exhibit symptoms while on campus or in class,
please leave campus immediately. In all situations, you must follow Carleton’s symptom
reporting protocols.

Masks: Carleton has paused the COVID-19 Mask Policy, but continues to strongly
recommend masking when indoors, particularly if physical distancing cannot be
maintained. It may become necessary to quickly reinstate the mask requirement if
pandemic circumstances were to change.

Vaccines: Further, while proof of vaccination is no longer required as of May 1 to attend

campus or in-person activity, it may become necessary for the University to bring back
proof of vaccination requirements on short notice if the situation and public health
advice changes. Students are strongly encouraged to get a full course of vaccination,
including booster doses as soon as they are eligible, and submit their booster dose
information in cuScreen as soon as possible. Please note that Carleton cannot
guarantee that it will be able to offer virtual or hybrid learning options for those who are
unable to attend the campus.

All members of the Carleton community are required to follow requirements and
guidelines regarding health and safety which may change from time to time. For the
most recent information about Carleton’s COVID-19 response and health and safety
requirements please see the University’s COVID-19 website and review the Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs). Should you have additional questions after reviewing, please
contact covidinfo@carleton.ca.