Preface: The modeling and simulation of complex systems
这篇前言指出复杂系统在现实决策中普遍存在，传统分析方法难以捕捉其行为，而计算机仿真可通过模拟系统变化来回答“如果……会怎样”的问题，帮助决策者评估措施效果。
Complex systems are a common phenomenon in real-world decision-making. The complexity of such systems arises from the numerous relationships involved and various interactions among diverse entities of the system or between a given system and its environment. As traditional analytical approaches often fall short of suitably capturing the behavior of complex systems, computer simulations come into play. These simulations provide an opportunity to alter a modeled system, observe its emergent behavior, and, thus, answer "what if" questions regarding the effectiveness of possible measures that can be applied in an attempt to achieve the decision-maker's aim.