Glossary
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A
- active level
- The capsule of a model project currently selected in the Capsule Set pane and displayed in the Model Canvas.
- AgentVector
- An aggregating component that manages its members as agents moving over a cartesian or hexagonal plane.
- aggregator
- Also aggregating container and aggregating component. Refers to CellMatrices, AgentVectors, SimWorlds, NodeNetworks and NetWorlds. Aggregators hold multiple instances of their elements and create a virtual topology within which the elements operate. Members of aggregating containers must be Capsules.
- atomic component
- Components such as Stocks, Terms, Flows, Commands, Codechips, etc., that do not have sub-components. They can only be members of Capsules.
C
- Capsule
- Prototype for a simulation unit. Capsules contain interacting base and aggregating components, and chips, and may contain inputs and outputs.
- Capsule Interface
- Also referred to as Interface. The set of DataInput and DataOutput components in a Capsule. They corrspond to pins in the enclosing Container.
- capsule set:The window of the Application Interface where the capsules of a model are listed.
- capture
- A button that converts the visual representation of a NumerusMB model into a script.
- CellMatrix
- An aggregating component that creates a two-dimensional cartesian or hexagonal topology with its members.
- cellular automaton
- A type of spatially explicit model where space is represented as a two-dimensional finite grid and each cell has a discrete state.
- Chip
- A Container component which contains a single Capsule for membership in a parent Capsule.
- Clock
- A special object for maintaining model time and providing strobe signals to the components.
- Clocked Chip
- A Chip with which a new Clock has been associated. Each strobe on the Chip produces a complete run of the enclosed Capsule instance based on the parameters of the associated Clock.
- Codechip
- A programmable component with user-specified inputs and outputs.
- Command
- A NumerusMB component containing executable code that changes the state of the program.
- component equation
- Also called component expression. One or more lines of code included as a component property that defines the value of that component.
- console
- The window of the Application Interface where you can enter commands one at a time.
- Container
- Chip or aggregator component. A Container holds one or more Capsule instances (or submodels). The latter are called elements or members of the Container
- converter plug-in
- A plug-in used to compute values used in updating the current state.
- Coords
- Refers to a JavaScript object that contains fields row and col, representing matrix row and column values.
D
- delta value
- The amount of time between state updates; also called dt.
- deterministic model
- A model where the outcome is fully predictable from the initial state (i.e., no random effects).
- display plug-in
- A plug-in used only for visualization.
- dynamic systems model
- A model of a system that changes over time.
E
- Euler Method
- A method of numeric integration that estimates P(t) as P(t-t) + P(t-t)t, where t is the change in time. Pronounced "Oiler method".
F
- field
- A property-name/property-value pair in a JavaScript object. Also refers to a stateful variable in a CodeChip.
G
- global segment
- Section of the Programming Window containing global definitions.
I
- identifier
- A text string (beginning with a letter) used as a property or local variable.
- integration method
- Procedure used to iterate from t to t + dt when considering continuous functions.
- Interface
- See Capsule Interface.
- iteration
- Step from time t to t + dt in the simulation.
L
- local variable
- An identifier used as a variable within a specific Capsule instance.
- local variable segment
- Section of the Programming Window containing local variables.
M
- member
- Constituent of a Container.
- method
- An object field that contains a function.
- method segment
- Section of the Programming Window containing local methods.
- Model Canvas
- The window of the Application Interface where the model is graphically designed and built from components.
- model time
- Local simulation time in units determined by the model.
- Monte-Carlo
- A model involving an element of chance (i.e., randomness).
N
- NetViewer
- A plugin used to visualize the nodes in a network; either a NodeNetwork or NetWorld.
- NetWorld
- An aggregating component that contains an AgentVector and NodeNetwork. The NodeNetwork determines the network topology where the agents exist.
- NodeNetwork
- An aggregating component that creates a network (i.e. mathematical graph) topology in which its members are nodes.
- NumerusScript
- A scripting language that was created specifically for designing and running models. NumerusScript is an extension of JavaScript.
P
- parent
- Another name for the host of an aggregator.
- plug-in
- A user-defined extension to NumerusMB that adds a new component type.
- post-processing (post-process)
- Actions required during the post-update phase.
- post-update
- Actions taken after the current state is changed during an iteration.
- pre-update
- Actions taken before the current state is changed during an iteration.
- primop
- Short for primitive operator; a built-in JavaScript or NumerusScript function.
- Programming Window
- The section of the NumerusMB interface in which the user may add code.
- project
- All of the capsules, functions, clock settings, etc. associated with a model. When you open NumerusMB, you are working on a project.
- property
- An identifier whose value is fixed throughout the simulation.
- property segment
- Section of the Programming Window containing local properties.
R
- RunData
- A special NumerusScript object that contains all of the output from a Stock during a complete run. Used to accumulate statistics.
- Runge-Kutta 2 Method
- A method of numeric integration that employs a correction to each Euler method estimate.
- Runge-Kutta 4 Method
- A method of numeric integration, where each approximation is weighted average of four estimates.
S
- schema or scenario
- NumerusScript object used for defining a component. Acts like a class declaration for NumerusScript objects.
- self
- state object binding referencing the component object.
- Self
- Pointer to the state object of a simulator.
- simulation
- A sequence of state transitions from a start time to an end time using a fixed time increment dt.
- simulator
- Capsules, CellMatrices, AgentVectors SimWorlds, NodeNetworks and NetWorlds, all of which have constitutent members.
- SimWorld
- An aggregating component containing a CellMatrix and AgentVector, in which the CellMatrix serves as the cartesian or hexagonal space in which the AgentVector's agents exist.
- start time
- Point in model time when the simulation starts (usually 0).
- State Object
- A special object referenced from Self in a simulator. For Capsules, it contains the current value for each member; for aggregating components it provides methods for obtaining the state object of members.
- stateful component
- A component that keeps track of its value over time (e.g., Stock).
- stateful plug-in
- A plug-in with state-values that persist between iterations.
- stateless component
- A component that is only aware of its current value.
- stochastic model
- A model that exhibits random effects.
- strobe
- Action taken by each component at each iteration.
- super
- component object binding referencing an object's container.
- Super
- Pointer to the state object of the container of a simulator.
U
- underscore.js
- A library of very useful functions included in NumerusScript; see http://underscorejs.org.
W
- wrap
- The practice of treating coordinates outside the dimension of a cartesian space as continuing from the opposite boundary. Topologically, the resulting space becomes a torus.