hypothesis
Dictionary Definition
"a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation."
Committee Definition
In the context of computer simulation, it can be said that the simulation itself embodies an hypothesis about the functioning of the system under assessment. The results of simulation are then the consequences of this hypothesis that can be assessed experimentally. A set of hypotheses can exist at different scales within the simulation, such that some aspects may be confirmed whereas others disconfirmed. In this way, the simulation model differs from classical physics modeling which is subject to full falsification.