Simulation
Simulation software can provide an approximation of reality that does not require the expense of real life or its risks. Flying a digital airplane can be highly realistic but without cost and physical risk. See the Digital Frog description or SimCity description , review or web site or their web site expanding the concept to SimCity Societies.
Simulation software also refers to the mathematical modelling of many natural systems that push the limits of computer capacity in the sciences and the humanities. These include a 1 billion-atom simulation of the strength of a material (2002), the 2.64 million atom simulation of a ribosome which makes proteins in all organisms (2005), the Blue Brain project to simulate the entire molecular workings of the human brain (2005), and fluid dynamics simulations that creates numerous special effects in Hollywood movies with water, gases and fire (2008). As computing power grows, student's access to similar academic simulations will grow as well.