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Simulink

Simulink is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Simulink rather than just read about it. In short: Simulink is a MATLAB-based graphical programming environment for modeling, simulating and analyzing multidomain dynamical systems. Its primary interface is a graphical block diagramming tool and a customizable set of block libraries.

Simulink — main illustration
Simulink — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Simulink belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Simulink to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Simulink from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Simulink is a MATLAB-based graphical programming environment for modeling, simulating and analyzing multidomain dynamical systems. Its primary interface is a graphical block diagramming tool and a customizable set of block libraries. It offers tight integration with the rest of the MATLAB environment and can either drive MATLAB or be scripted from it. Simulink is widely used in automatic control and digital signal processing for multidomain simulation and model-based design.

Add-on products MathWorks and other third-party hardware and software products can be used with Simulink. For example, Stateflow extends Simulink with a design environment for developing state machines and flow charts. Simscape is an add-on product that extends Simulink with support for physical modeling. Developed by MathWorks, it enables the modeling and simulation of multidomain physical systems by connecting physical components whose interactions represent domains such as electrical, mechanical, thermal, and fluid systems. Simscape models can be combined with standard Simulink block diagrams, allowing the simulation of systems that couple physical dynamics with control algorithms and signal-based components. Coupled with another of their products, Simulink can automatically generate C source code for real-time implementation of systems. As the efficiency and flexibility of the code improves, this is becoming more widely adopted for production systems, in addition to being a tool for embedded system design work because of its flexibility and capacity for quick iteration. Embedded Coder creates code efficient enough for use in embedded systems. Simulink Real-Time (formerly known as xPC Target), together with x86-based real-time systems, is an environment for simulating and testing Simulink and Stateflow models in real-time on the physical system. Another MathWorks product also supports specific embedded targets. When used with other generic products, Simulink and Stateflow can automatically generate synthesizable VHDL and Verilog. Simulink Verification and Validation enables systematic verification and validation of models through modeling style checking, requirements traceability and model coverage analysis. Simulink Design Verifier uses formal methods to identify design errors like integer overflow, division by zero and dead logic, and generates test case scenarios for model checking within the Simulink environment. SimEvents is used to add a library of graphical building blocks for modeling queuing systems to the Simulink environment, and to add an event-based simulation engine to the time-based simulation engine in Simulink.

Release history

See also List of aerospace engineering software

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

Simulink illustration
Simulink illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Simulink

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Simulink claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Simulink before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Simulink ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Simulink

In research
Simulink appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Simulink in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Simulink is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aerospace engineering software, Cross-platform software, Linux software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Simulink outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Simulink in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Simulink means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Simulink out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Simulink in simple terms?

Simulink is a MATLAB-based graphical programming environment for modeling, simulating and analyzing multidomain dynamical systems. Its primary interface is a graphical block diagramming tool and a customizable set of block libraries.

Why does Simulink matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Simulink?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Simulink.

Tags

  • Aerospace engineering software
  • Cross-platform software
  • Linux software
  • Mathematical modeling
  • Node-graph-based visual programming languages
  • Numerical software
  • Simulation programming languages
  • Simulation software

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