Glossary

discrete event simulation
A simulation technique in which the state of a system changes only at discrete points in time corresponding to events; between events the simulation clock jumps directly to the time of the next event.
event queue
A data structure holding future events in a discrete event simulation, sorted by the time at which each event will occur, so that the next event to process is always at the front.
simulation clock
The current time in a discrete event simulation, which advances to the time of each event as that event is processed rather than ticking forward in fixed steps.