IB welcomes the use of simulations for the independent investigation. The challenging part is finding a simulation that gives you a variety of measurements in response to your independent variable. For example, imagine a sim investigating the effects of temperature on pill bug crawling distance. If every time you set the temperature to 20°C the test pill bug travels 1 cm, the sim will not work for your IA. If, however, there are a range of travel distances with different pill bugs at 20°C, then the sim will work. The decision tree below can help you analyze whether or not a simulation will work for your IA.
Modeling is another technique that can be used for data gathering and analysis for the scientific investigation. Look below for links to simulation websites and modeling websites.
Simulation is a technique of studying and analyzing the behavior of a real-world system or process by mimicking it on a computer application. A simulation works using a mathematical model that describes the structure, and then one or more variables of the mathematical model are changed. Users can observe the resulting changes in the other variables, enabling them to predict the behavior of the real-world system being studied.
Modeling involves the creation of a representation of an object, process, or phenomenon with all (or a subset of) its properties. Scientific models can be mathematical or computational and can be designed to be exactly the same as the original system or to deviate from it in precise ways. An example of this would be one of the models in the NetLogo library that illustrates the growth of a tumor and how it resists chemical treatment.
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