![](/assets/images/picto-drapeau-france-3a76576a5d60a512053b4612ab58dae5.png)
4. Monte Carlo simulation
4.1 Principle
Called Monte-Carlo by von Neumann in allusion to games of chance, the principle of Monte-Carlo simulation is quite simple: it involves replacing analytical calculation with statistical calculation by carrying out a large number of histories of the system under study. It's not unlike walnut shelling (figure 3 ): by simulating random numbers, we shake the system in all directions and, just as the ripest walnuts fall first, the events with the highest probability appear first.
The outside joke should not obscure the depth of the preceding analogy: Monte-Carlo simulation is self-approximating. Unlike the analytical approach, where lengthy mathematical demonstrations...
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!
Already subscribed? Log in!
![](/assets/images/logo-eti-286623ed91fa802ce039246e516e5852.png)
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
This article is included in
Safety and risk management
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
Monte Carlo simulation