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Modeling with
STELLA software
Learning objective
After this class the students should be
able to:
Understand basic concepts of system
dynamics,
Stock Variable;
Flow Variable;
Information Flow;
Material Flow; and
Time Delay;
Understand how these basics elements interact
with policies and decisions to determine the
behavior of dynamic systems.
Time Management
(5 minutes)
Feedback Loop
X Y
Z
Time Delay
Time Delay
Y
Causal Diagram
Desired
Water Faucet
Level Position
Perceived
Gap
Water
Flow
Current
Water
Level
Population Dynamic
+ +
+ -
Material Flow
Activity Stock
Information Flow
Converter
A Model
Control Control
Material Flaw Material Flaw
to Stock from Stock
Stock
Send
information
from the Stock
Add New
information
Exploring a simple example
To explore modeling with STELLA, we will
develop interactively with you, a basic
model of the dynamics of a fish
population.
Assume you are the owner of a pond that
is stocked with 200 fish that all reproduce
at a fixed rate of 5% per year.
For simplicity, assume also that none of
the fish die. How many fish will you own
after 20 years?
Stock - Fish Inventory
We begin with the first tool, a stock
(rectangle). In our example model, the
stock will represent the number of fish in
our pond.
Click here
to open the
Figure 1 stella
software
Figure 2
Figure 3
Our first model
Once you draw the information arrow from the
transforming variable REPRODUCTION RATE to the
control and from the stock FISH to the control,
open the control (REPRODUCTION) and converter
(REPRODUCTION RATE) and type respectively
5/100 and the equation: REPRODUCTION RATE*
FISH
5/100
200
REPRODUCTION RATE*FISH
Figure 4
Run the model
We get Figure 5. We see a graph of exponential
growth of the fish population in your pond.
Figure 5
What-if?
From now on, the professor can practice “what-if” with the
teams
For example:
What would happen if we decided to extract fish at a
constant rate of 3% per year, and the reproduction rate
varied with the fish population as it is seen in figure 6?
Figure 6
New model
Results
Figure 7
Reference