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Virtually a measurement

Nature Physics volume 17, page 146 (2021)Cite this article

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Simulations are as much a part of science as hypothesis and experiment. But can their outcomes be considered observations? Wendy S. Parker investigates.

Computer simulations serve myriad purposes in science: from experimental design in high-energy physics, to predicting tomorrow’s weather in meteorology, to exploring and evaluating candidate molecules in drug research. But is simulation also a tool for observing the world? Can we measure the world via computer simulation? It might seem not. Yet, in the geosciences, there are now ‘observational’ datasets composed entirely of simulation output. And in various fields, especially chemistry and engineering, one finds software designed to enable ‘virtual measurements’ of quantities of interest.

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  1. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Wendy S. Parker

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  1. Wendy S. Parker
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Correspondence to Wendy S. Parker.

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Parker, W.S. Virtually a measurement. Nat. Phys. 17, 146 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-01138-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-01138-3

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