What is the Difference Between Emulator and Simulator

The main difference between emulator and simulator is that the emulator is a software or hardware that enables a one computer system to work similar to another system while simulator is a software or hardware that can mimic areal-lifee scenario to provide the required outcomes without causing any danger.  

An emulator allows the host system to work like some other system which is called the guest system. Some Macintosh computers are installed with DOS compatible cards so that they can run PC software as well as FPGA based hardware emulators. On the other hand, simulators are used in various areas such as safety engineering, testing, education, training, video games, scientific experiments. They show the effects of real situations.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Emulator
   – Definition, Functionality
2. What is Simulator
  – Definition, Functionality
3. What is the Difference Between Emulator and Simulator
  – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Emulator, FPGA, Simulator

What is Emulator

An emulator is a hardware or software that makes one computer system (host) operates similar to another system (guest). In other words, the emulator allows the host system to execute software or use peripheral devices designed for the guest system. Moreover, emulation is the capability of a computer program in an electronic device to emulate another program or device.

Figure 1: Emulator in Android Studio

Android Studio is a common platform to develop android applications. The programmer can create an emulator which appears similar to a real phone and he can execute the developed apps using that emulator. Therefore, it is not compulsory to use an exact phone to test the application. The emulator works as the real phone to check the applications. This is an example for an emulator.

What is Simulator

Simulator is a computer program or a device that can mimic a real life situation. It can provide outcomes depending on various assumptions and actions without causing any risk. It is a common practice to use a simulator to create electronic devices. Therefore, many universities use simulation software to teach electronic designs. These simulators help to avoid designing faulty circuits. Users can simulate the circuit and view the outputs. After obtaining the required outcomes, they can implement them using the real Integrated Circuits (ICs), breadboards and other components.

Figure 2: Flight Simulator

For example, assume a flight simulator. It is a device that artificially creates an aircraft flying environment. It is mainly used for pilot training as it is risky to train on real aircrafts. Therefore, it is a good alternative to follow a flight simulator. It creates the complete environment of a real aircraft. The pilot can understand how to control it, how it behaves, the effects on the system etc. He can also understand how the aircraft operates to external factors such as turbulence, cloud, air density, etc.

Difference Between Emulator and Simulator

Definition

Emulator is a hardware or software that enables one computer system (host system) to behave like some other system (guest system). Simulator is a computer program or a dedicated device that models some aspects of a real life situation and can be manipulated to observe the outcomes of different assumptions or actions without exposing the experimenter to any danger. Thus, this is the main difference between emulator and simulator.

Main usage

Another difference between emulator and simulator is that emulator helps to use a system as some other system while simulator helps to avoid risks.

Examples

Android Studio Emulator is an example for an emulator while Flight simulator, electronic device simulators are some examples for simulators.

Conclusion

There is a distinct difference between emulator and simulator although many people use these words interchangeably. The main difference between emulator and simulator is that emulator is a software or hardware that enables one computer system to work similar to another system while simulator is a software or hardware that can mimic a real life scenario to provide the required outcomes without causing any danger. 

Reference:

1.“Emulator.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Feb. 2019, Available here.
2.“Simulation.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Jan. 2019, Available here.
3.“What Is Simulator? Definition and Meaning.” BusinessDictionary.com, Available here.
4.“Flight Simulator.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Jan. 2019, Available here.
5.“Electronic Circuit Simulation.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Jan. 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1.”Android-SDK-Emulator” By okubax (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
2.”SuperJet International – Full Flight Simulator”By SuperJet International – Full Flight Simulator, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons Wikimedia