APCSP Simulation Models 3

Question 1

A simulation of an epidemic uses the rule: 'An infected person has a 30% chance of infecting each neighbor per day.' What does the 30% value represent in the model?

Accepted Answer

A parameter that can be adjusted to test different scenarios

Answer

The 30% value is a model parameter that can be changed to explore how different infection rates affect the epidemic's spread.

Question 2

Which of the following scenarios is BEST suited for using a simulation rather than a direct experiment?

Accepted Answer

Studying the effects of an asteroid impact on Earth's climate

Answer

Simulating an asteroid impact is ideal because the real experiment is impossible, dangerous, and would be irreversible.

Question 3

In a simulation model, what is the role of 'initial conditions'?

Accepted Answer

They set the starting state of the system before the simulation runs

Answer

Initial conditions define the state of the system at time zero, which determines how the simulation evolves.

Question 4

A simulation of predator-prey populations shows wolves increasing while deer decrease, then wolves declining as food runs out. This pattern is evidence that:

Accepted Answer

The simulation successfully models feedback loops in the ecosystem

Answer

The oscillating population pattern reflects the feedback loop where predator success depends on prey availability, matching ecological theory.

Question 5

A programmer wants to simulate how heat spreads through a metal rod. She divides the rod into 100 small segments and updates each segment's temperature every millisecond. This technique is called:

Accepted Answer

Discrete time-step simulation

Answer

Dividing time into small steps and updating the system state at each step is the discrete time-step approach used in many physical simulations.

(APCSP) AP Computer Science Principles Practice Test

(APCSP) AP Computer Science Principles Practice Test

APCSP Simulation Models 3