Time plays a crucal role in many simulations whether it is in the form of a real dynamical continuous time, a time-stochastic process or a discrete set of temporally ordered events. Some systems can be modelled using an explicit integration of a time-dependent partial differential equation. We discuss the way time is incorporated into major simulation paradigms including: partial differential equations; discrete event systems; and stochastic dynamical systems. We present some typical timescales and some simulation perormance data and discuss the implications for various ratios between wall-clock time and simulated time. We review some algorithmic approches to distributed time and how they can be used to good effect in concurrent simulations.
Keywords: time; simulations; dynamical processes.
Full Document Text: Not yet available.