190 FUNDAMENTALS

Figure 7.13 Lake problem modeled in Simulink® for an exponentially declining load.

considered. It is, therefore, impossible and unfair to compare them or rank

them or make any specific recommendations.
Some general recommendations based on the above examples and the
author’s experience are as follows. For those who have not attempted com-
puter-based modeling, Excel® is probably the easiest to learn and to apply to
develop models quickly. For those familiar with Excel®, TK Solver should be
easy to learn, because the equations are entered into TK Solver using the
same one-line style as used in Excel®. Those who have experience in tradi-
tional programming should find the environments in Mathematica® and
MATLAB® familiar and easy to learn. The learning curve for the dynamic
simulation packages is somewhat steep initially, but once some basic under-
standing is gained, complex models can be developed fairly easily and more
quickly than in the other packages.
If the problem is of a static nature, and if the model has to be simulated
under various values of the same parameters as inputs without having to
rearrange the model equations, then Excel® is probably the most convenient