Lecture D3 (2022-09-23): Stock-and-Flow Diagrams in Vensim and Insight Maker

In this lecture, we start by reviewing numerical integration methods (Euler's method) for approximating solutions to ordinary differential equations in spreadsheets. We use a filling toilet tank as an example of a balancing/negative-feedback system that we can simulate this way. We then pivot to discussing stock-and-flow diagram representations of these systems and then end with a short demonstration about how to use Vensim to draw and simulate these stock-and-flow diagrams, thereby greatly accelerating the numerical integration process done by hand in the spreadsheet. We ran out of time before being able to cover the example in Insight Maker, but we will start with that at the beginning of the next lecture.