Simulation Programming with Python - Northwestern …

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Chapter 4Simulation Programmingwith PythonThis chapter shows how simulations of some of the examples in Chap. 3 can beprogrammed using Python and the SimPy Simulation library[1]. The goals ofthe chapter are to introduce SimPy, and to hint at the experiment design andanalysis issues that will be covered in later chapters. While this chapter willgenerally follow the flow of Chap. 3, it will use the conventions and patternsenabled by the SimPy SimPy OverviewSimPy is an object-oriented, process-based discrete-event Simulation library forPython. It is open source and released under the M license. SimPy providesthe modeler with components of a Simulation model including processes, foractive components like customers, messages, and vehicles, and resources, forpassive components that form limited capacity congestion points like servers,checkout counters, and tunnels. It also provides monitor variables to aid ingathering statistics.

Python in the midst of a long transition from the Python 2.x series to Python 3.x while SimPy is expected to transition to version 3 which will involve changes in the library interface. Scienti c and technical computing users such as most simulation modelers and analysts are generally staying with the Python 2.x se-

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