Just as the development of systematic experimental inquiries at the time of Galileo has changed scientific thinking,
recent developments in computational and information science are having a similar impact, adding to theory and experiment
a third scientific method: computer simulation.
In our research, we use computer simulation in two ways.
Traditional: Starting from a mathematical model in terms of the basic equations of physics, employ numerical algorithms to solve these equations, thereby providing answers in cases where theoretical treatments face their limits.
Unconventional: Starting from a discrete-event representation of the observed phenomena, try to invent simple rules that, when simulated on a computer, reproduce the experimental facts without solving basic equations of physics.