几年前，我想出了一个非常简短的格言，我相信，它很好地抓住了差异的本质:

模拟器是执行任务的模拟器。

我的意思是，当你不能使用真正的东西时，你可以使用模拟器，当你不能使用真正的东西时，你可以使用模拟器，当你想找到一些关于它的东西时。

模拟是模拟外部可观察到的行为以匹配现有目标的过程。模拟机制的内部状态不必准确地反映它所模拟的目标的内部状态。

另一方面，仿真涉及到对目标的基本状态进行建模。一个好的仿真的最终结果是，仿真模型将模拟它所模拟的目标。

理想情况下，您应该能够查看模拟并观察到您在查看原始目标时也会看到的属性。在实践中，由于性能原因，模拟可能存在一些快捷方式——也就是说，模拟的某些内部方面实际上可能是模拟。

MAME是一款街机游戏模拟器;Hyperterm是一个(不是很好的)终端仿真器。没有必要为街机或终端详细建模以获得所需的模拟行为。

《Flight Simulator》是一款模拟器;SPICE是一个电子模拟器。他们尽可能地模拟目标的每个细节，以表示目标在现实中的行为。

EDIT: Other responses have pointed out that the goal of an emulation is to able to substitute for the object it is emulating. That's an important point. A simulation's focus is more on the modeling of the internal state of the target -- and the simulation does not necessarily lead to emulation. In particular, a simulation may run far slower than real-time. SPICE, for example, cannot substitute for an actual electronics circuit (even if assuming there was some kind of magical device that perfectly interfaces electrical circuits to a SPICE simulation.) A simulation does not always lead to emulation --

我不认为模拟器和模拟器可以比较。两者都模仿某些东西，但不是同一推理范围的一部分，它们不在同一上下文中使用。

简而言之:模拟器被设计用来复制原始程序的某些特性，甚至可以在真实环境中替换它。模拟器的设计不是为了复制原物的特征，而是为了在人类看来与原物相似。没有了原有的功能，仿真器无法在实际环境中代替原有的功能。

An emulator is a device that mimics something close enough so that it can be substituted to the real thing. E.g you want a circuit to work like a ROM (read only memory) circuit, but also wants to adjust the content until it is what you want. You'll use a ROM emulator, a black box (likely to be CPU-based) with a physical and electrical interfaces compatible with the ROM you want to emulate. The emulator will be plugged into the device in place of the real ROM. The motherboard will not see any difference when working, but you will be able to change the emulated-ROM content easily. Said otherwise the emulator will act exactly as the actual thing in its motherboard context (maybe a little bit slower due to actual internal model) but there will be additional functions (like re-writing) visible only to the designer, out of the motherboard context. So emulator definition would be: something that mimic the original, has all of its functional features, can actually replace it to some extend in the real world, and may have additional features not visible in the normal context.

A simulator is used in another thinking context, e.g a plane simulator, a car simulator, etc. The simulation will take care only of some aspect of the actual thing, usually those related to how a human being will perceive and control it. The simulator will not perform the functions of the real stuff, and cannot be sustituted to it. The plane simulator will not fly or carry someone, it's not its purpose at all. The simulator is not intended to work, but to appear to the pilot somehow like the actual thing for purposes other than its normal ones, e.g. to allow ground training (including in unusual situations like all-engine failure). So simulator definition would be: something that can appear to human, to some extend, like the original, but cannot replace it for actual use. In addition the pilot will know that the simulator is a simulator.

我认为我们不会看到ROM模拟器，因为ROM不与人类交互，我们也不会看到任何平面模拟器，因为在现实世界中，飞机无法有一个替代物来执行相同的功能。

在我看来，模拟器或模拟器中的模型可以是任何东西，并且不必与原始模型相似。一个ROM模拟器模型将很可能是软件而不是硬件，MS飞行模拟器不能比它更软件。

这两个术语的比较将与当前选择的答案(来自Toybuilder)相矛盾，后者将差异放在内部模型上，而我的建议是，差异在于假的是否可以用于执行实际世界中的实际功能(确实在某些可接受的范围内)。

注意，飞机模拟器还必须模拟地球、太阳、风等，这些都不是飞机的一部分，所以飞机模拟器必须模拟飞机的某些方面，以及飞机的环境，因为它不是在这个实际环境中使用，而是在一个训练室中使用。

This is a big difference with the emulator which emulates only the orginal, and its purpose is to be used in the environment of the original with no need to emulate it. Back to the plane context... what could be a plane emulator? Maybe a train that will connect two airports -- actually two plane steps -- carrying passengers, with stewardesses onboard, with car interior looking like an actual plane cabin, and with captain saying "ladies and gentlemen our altitude is currenlty 10 kms and the temperature at our destination is 24°C". Its benefit is difficult to see, hum...

总之，模拟器是一个真实的东西，旨在工作，模拟器是一个假的，旨在欺骗用户。

虚拟PC试图从程序员的角度模拟计算机，但同时，它也从电气工程师的角度模拟计算机。

To understand the difference between a simulator and an emulator, keep in mind that a simulator tries to mimic the behavior of a real device. For example, in the case of the iOS Simulator, it simulates the real behavior of an actual iPhone/iPad device. However, the Simulator itself uses the various libraries installed on the Mac (such as QuickTime) to perform its rendering so that the effect looks the same as an actual iPhone. In addition, applications tested on the Simulator are compiled into x86 code, which is the byte-code understood by the Simulator. A real iPhone device, conversely, uses ARM-based code.

相比之下，模拟器模拟真实设备的工作。在模拟器上测试的应用程序被编译成实际设备使用的实际字节码。仿真器通过将字节码转换为可由运行仿真器的主机执行的形式来执行应用程序。

为了理解模拟和模拟之间的微妙区别，假设您试图说服一个孩子玩刀是危险的。为了模拟这种情况，你假装用刀割伤自己，并痛苦地呻吟。为了模仿这一点，你真的会割伤自己。

用比较正常的说法来说:如果你的软件能做被模仿系统能做的所有事情，那么它就是一个模拟器。如果它只是近似于系统(it或其他)的结果，那么它就是一个模拟器。