mimic vs. simulate

[Korusan]

Dear teachers,

What is a major difference between "to mimic something" and "to simulate something?"
I thought both expressions could be almost the same, but they are used together in one sentence like "mimic or simulate, for example, human behavioral patterns."
Thanks for your help.

[BobK]

They end up referring to the same process, but when you mimic something it's a two-way activity - you hear/watch and then you copy. 'Simulate' refers just to the productive phase of the process; you could program a computer to simulate something (you wouldn't use mimic there). At least, that's the difference to my ear.

b

[BobK]

Also, 'mimic' often refers to imitating people (or other animals). You'd mimic a politician or an orang-utan, but use a computer to simulate a process. (... So I'm coming round to your way of thinking; I suspect 'mimic or simulate' is often used for the sake of padding out a word-count! - I'd prefer to use one or the other.)

b

[Korusan]

Thank you, BobK, for your explanation!
Now I realized that this question was something even a native English speaker would think the same way I do about
I'm glad at least that I was able to confirm the difference in the way each word should be used.
Thanks, again!