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[QUOTE="kal, post: 2377793"]
From The American Heritage Dictionary, second college edition, 1985.

emulate  tr. v.  1. To strive to equal or excel, esp. through 
   imitation.  2. To compete with or rival successfully. 
   3. Computer Sci. To imitate one system with another so that 
   both accept the same data, execute the same programs and 
   achieve the same results.

simulate tr. v.  1. To have or take on the appearance, form, 
   or sound of; imitate.  2. To make a pretense of; feign.

Etymologically the proper word to use in this context is "simulate."
This is because "simulate" (from Latin similis) connotes likeness, 
whereas "emulate" (from latin aemulus) connotes rivalry/competition.

However, as can be seen in the aforementioned dictionary entries, 
in computer science the use of the word "emulate" to mean something 
akin to "simulate" has been accepted for sometime now.

Note that the presence of entry (3) for "emulate" should not be 
taken to mean that it is the accepted usage but rather the usage 
is an exceptional case in the field of computer science.

That said,  depending on the circumstances, even at present one or 
the other of these words is preferred.
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