APCSP Simulation Models 2

Question 1

A climate scientist uses a simulation to predict temperatures over 100 years. Which factor most directly affects the simulation's accuracy?

Accepted Answer

The quality and completeness of the real-world data used as inputs

Answer

Simulation accuracy depends on how well the input data and assumptions reflect real-world conditions.

Question 2

In a traffic simulation, cars follow simplified rules rather than mimicking every driver behavior. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Abstraction used to make the simulation manageable

Answer

Simplifying complex behaviors into rules is abstraction, which makes simulations feasible to build and run.

Question 3

A simulation produces different results each time it runs because it uses randomly generated inputs. This type of simulation is called:

Accepted Answer

Stochastic

Answer

A stochastic simulation incorporates randomness, producing different outputs on each run.

Question 4

Why might a scientist run the same simulation hundreds of times with different random seeds?

Accepted Answer

To collect a range of outcomes and analyze the distribution of results

Answer

Running many trials with different random seeds gives a statistical distribution of outcomes rather than a single result.

Question 5

A flight simulator accurately models aerodynamics but ignores weather turbulence. Which statement best describes this simulator?

Accepted Answer

It models some real-world aspects while abstracting away others

Answer

Simulations always involve trade-offs, modeling some aspects of reality while omitting or simplifying others.

(APCSP) AP Computer Science Principles Practice Test