Each patch can be either "live" or "dead". A live patch can die from loneliness (if it has fewer than two live neighbors) or from overcrowding (if it has more than three live neigbors). A dead patch comes to life if it has exactly three live neighbors. From these simple rules, interesting patterns form.
setup button to set up a random distribution of
live patches. Click the go button to start executing the
rules of the Game of Life.
The density slider controls the initial density of live
patches.
Look for "gliders," a collection of five live patches that seems to move diagonally across the screen. A glider is an example of an "emergent object" -- an apparent object that arises from interactions among simpler, underlying objects.
nsum to sum variables from the eight neighboring patches
(including diagonals); use nsum4 to sum variables from the
four neighboring patches (north, south, east, west).
