An Interpolation Approach to Developing Mathematical Functions for Business Simulations

Simulation designers are often required to define the precise nature of functional relationships with only vague guidelines from theory or practice. This article presents a methodology for the easy implementation of self-designed functional relationships. The approach presented does not require any special parameters or exponents, but it is capable of generating results almost identical to sophisticated curvilinear functions. The method presented relies on the conversion of graphically represented functions to a series of lines and then the use of interpolation as the means of obtaining dependent variable values.