Monte Carlo

The term Monte-Carlo refers to a group of methods in which physical or mathematical problems are simulated by using random numbers. Sometimes this is done at a very simple level. For example, calculations of radiation damage in humans have been studied by simulating the firing of random particles into human tissue and randomly carrying out the various possible processes. After a lot of averaging one arrives at the likely damage due to different forms of incident radiation. Similar methods are used to simulate the tracks left in particle physics experiments. Here we will concentrate on 3 different types of calculations using random numbers.