Basic Monte Carlo Models: Equilibrium and Kinetics

Abstract

Monte Carlo (MC) is a very general computational technique that can be used to carry out sampling of distributions. Random numbers are employed in the sampling, and often in other parts of the code. One definition of MC based on common usage in the literature is, any calculation that involves significant applications of random numbers. Historical accounts place the naming of this method in March 1947, when Metropolis suggested it for his method of evaluating the equilibrium properties of atomic systems, and this is the application that we will discuss in this section [1]. An important sampling technique is the one named after Metropolis, which we will describe below.