CAMBRIDGE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING

SUBJECT: SYSTEM MODELING AND SIMULATION SUBJECT CODE: 18AI821

QUESTION BANK
MODULE 1: CHAPTER 1 AND 2
1 What is simulation? Explain with flowchart, the steps involved in simulation study, May/June 2010 10
2 Differentiate between continuous and discrete systems. May/June 2010 5
3 What is System and System Environment? List the components of a system, with example. May/June 2010 5
4 A grocery store has one checkout counter. Customers arrive at this checkout counter at random from 1 to 8 10
minutes apart and each interval time has the same probability of occurrence. The service times vary frim 1 to 6
minutes, with probability given below:
Service (minutes) 1 2 3 4 5 6
Probability 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.25 0.10 0.05
Simulate the arrival of 6 customers and calculate:
Average waiting time for a customer
Probability that a customer has to wait
Probability of a server being idle
Average service time and
Average time between arrival.
Use the following sequence of random numbers:
Random digit for arrival 913 727 015 948 309 922
Random digit for service time 84 10 74 53 17 79
Assume that the first customer arrives at time 0. Depict the simulation in a tabular form. May/June 2010
5 With the help of a flow diagram, explain the simulation of a single channel queuing system. June/July 2011 10
6 Write short notes on: Characteristics of queuing systems. June/July 2011 10
7 List any five circumstances, when the simulation is the appropriate tool and when it is not. December 2011 10
8 A large milling machine has three different bearings that fail in service. The cumulative distribution function of 10
the life of each bearing is identical, as shown in Table 1. When a bearing fails, the mill stops, a repair-person is
called and a new bearing is installed. The delay time of the repair-person’s arriving at the milling machine is
also a random variable, with the distribution given in Table 2. Downtime for the mill is estimated at $5/ minute.
The direct onsite cost of the repair-person is $15/hour. It takes 20 minutes to change 1 bearing, 30 minutes to
change two bearings, 40 minutes to change 3 bearings. The bearing cost $16 each. A proposal has been
made to replace all 3 bearings whenever a bearing fails. Management needs an evaluation of this proposal.
Simulate the system for 10,000 hours of operation under proposed method and determine the total cost of the
proposed system.
Table 1: Bearing life distribution
Bearing life 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900
(hrs)
Probability 0.10 0.13 0.25 0.13 0.09 0.12 0.02 0.06 0.05 0.05
Table 2: Delay-time distribution
Delay (minutes) 5 10 15
Probability 0.6 0.3 0.1
Note: Consider the following sequence of random digits for bearing life-times.
Bearing 1 67 8 49 84 44 30 10 63
Bearing 2 70 43 86 93 81 44 19 51
Bearing 3 76 65 61 96 65 56 11 86
Consider the following sequence of random digits for delay time.
Delay 3 7 5 1 4 3 7 8
June/July 2011
9 Explain the following: 5
i. System ii) Event list iii) Entity iv) Event December 2011
10 Define the following terms used in simulation: 10
i) Discrete system ii) Continuous system iii) Stochastic system
iv) Deterministic system v) Entity vi) Attribute June 2012
11 Define the terms used in discrete event simulation: 10
 i) System state ii) List iii) Event
iv) FEL v) Delay vi) System. June 2012
12 Define simulation. What are advantages and disadvantages of simulation? Explain. December 2010 04
13 Write short notes on: Queuing system. December 2010 06
14 Suppose the maximum inventory level M, is 11 units and the review period, N, is 5 days. Estimate by 06
simulation, the average ending units in inventory and number of days when a shortage condition occurs.
The number of units demanded per day is given by the following probability distribution. Assume that orders
are placed at the close of business and are received for inventory at the beginning of business as determined by
the lead-time. Initially simulation has started with inventory level of 3 units and an order of 8 units scheduled to
arrive in two days time.
Demand 0 1 2 3 4
Probability 0.10 0.25 0.35 0.21 0.09
Lead time is a random variable, with the following probability distribution:
Lead time (days) 1 2 3
Probability 0.6 0.3 0.1
Note: The sequence of random digits for demand and random digits for lead-time should be considered in the
given order.
RD for demand 24 35 65 81 54 3 87 27 73 70 47 45 48 17 9
RD for lead time 5 0 3
June/July 2011
15 Write short notes on: 08
i. A problem on reliability.
ii. A problem on News Paper Sellers.
iii. A problem on Simulation of a (M,N) inventory system.
iv. A problem on Single-Channel Queue.
v. A problem on Able Bakers carhop.
vi. A problem on Random normal numbers.
VII. A problem on Lead Time demand
16 Consider the grocery store with one checkout counter. Prepare the simulation table for eight customers and 10
find out average waiting time of customer in queue, idle time of server, and average service time. The inter
arrival time (IAT) and service time are given in minutes.
TAT : 3, 2, 6, 4, 4, 5, 8
ST (min) : 3, 5, 5, 8, 4, 6, 2, 3 June 2012
17 Suppose the maximum inventory level M is 11 units and the review period N is 5 days, estimate by 10
simulation, the average ending units in inventory and number of days when a shortage condition occurs. Initial
simulation has started with inventory level of 3 units and an order of 8 units scheduled to arrive in two days
time. Simulate for three cycles (15 days). The probability for daily demand and lead time is given in table.
Demand 0 1 2 3 4 Lead time 1 2 3
P 0.1 0.25 0.35 0.2 0.1 Probability 0.5 0.3 0.2
RD for demand: 24, 35, 65, 25, 8, 85, 77, 68, 28, 5, 92, 55, 49, 69, 70.
RD for lead time: 5, 0, 3. June 2012
18 Consider the following five inter-arrival times used to compute the arrival times of six customers in a single 06
channel queuing system.
Customers 1 2 3 4 5 6
Inter-arrival times - 2 4 1 2 6
Service-times 2 1 3 2 1 4
Develop: i) A simulation table emphasizing the clock times.
ii) Chronological ordering of all events.
Draw a graph for chronological ordering of events. December 2010
19 List the application areas/Industry domains of simulation? 10
20 List 5 typical applications each in manufacturing and transportation systems? 12
21 List 5 typical applications each in business process simulation & logistics,supply chain and distribution? 05
22 What is Model and Component of the system? 05
23 Name several entities, attributes, activities, events & state variables of a typical automatic teller machine ATM)? 05
24 Explain the following queuing system characteristics: (a) calling population (b) system capacity (c) Arrival 10
process (d) Queue behavior and discipline (e) service time and service mechanism
 MODULE 1 CHAPTER 3: GENERAL PRINCIPLES, SIMULATION SOFTWARE
1 Explain the following: 04
i) System ii) Event list iii) Entity iv) Event December 2011
2 Define the terms used in discrete event simulation: 06
iii) System state ii) List iii) Event
v) FEL v) Delay vi) System. June 2012
3 Briefly define any four concepts used in discrete event simulation. May/June 2010 04
4 Explain event scheduling algorithm by generating system snapshots at clock=t and clock=t 1. May/June 2010 06
5 Six dump trucks are used to haul coal from the entrance of a small mine to railroad. Each truck is 05
loaded by one of the two loaders. After loading truck moves to scale, to be weighed. After weighing
a truck begins a travel time and then returns to loader queue. It has been assumed that five of trucks
are at loader and one at scale at time 0. By using event scheduling algorithm find out busy time of
loader and scale and stopping time E is 64 minutes.
The activities of loading, weighing and travel time are given in the following table:
Loading time 10 5 5 10 15 10 10
Weighing time 12 12 12 16 12 16
Travel time 60 100 40 40 80
May/June 2010
6 One company uses 6 trucks to haul manganese ore from Kolar to its industry, There are two loaders, 10
to load each truck. After loading, a truck moves to the weighing scale to be weighed. The queue
discipline is FIFO. When it is weighed, a truck travels to the industry and returns to the loader queue.
The distribution of loading time, weighing time and travel time are as follows:
Loading time: 10 5 5 10 15 10 10
Weigh time: 12 12 12 16 12 16
Travel time: 60 100 40 40 80
Calculate the total busy time of both the loaders, the scale average loader and scale utilization.
Assume 5 trucks are at the loaders and one is at the scale, at time “0’. Stopping time TE = 64 min.
December 2011
7 Prepare a table using event scheduling/ time advance algorithm, until the clock reaches time 15, 10
using the interarrival and service times given below in the order shown. The stopping event will be
at time 30.
Interval times 4 5 2 8 3 7
Service times 5 3 4 6 2 7
July/ August 2005
8 Prepare a simulation table for a single channel queue system until the clock reaches time 20. The stopping
event will be at time 30. Inter-arrival times 4 5 2 8 3 6 Service times 3 5 4 6 1 5
9 Provide the detailed flow chart of a typical arrival event and a departure event in a single channel queuing
system.