---life.nlogo

NETLOGO

patches-own [
  living?         ;; indicates if the cell is living
  live-neighbors  ;; counts how many neighboring cells are alive
]

to setup-blank
  ask patches
    [ cell-death ]
end

to setup-random
  ask patches
    [ ifelse random 100 < initial-density * 100
        [ cell-birth ]
        [ cell-death ] ]
end

to cell-birth
  set living? true
  set pcolor fgcolor
end

to cell-death
  set living? false
  set pcolor bgcolor
end

to go
  if mouse-down?
    [ stop ]  ;; wait for user to stop drawing
  ask patches
    [ set live-neighbors count neighbors with [living?] ]
  ;; Starting a new "ask patches" here ensures that all the patches
  ;; finish executing the first ask before any of them start executing
  ;; the second ask.  This keeps all the patches in sync with each other,
  ;; so the births and deaths at each generation all happen in lockstep.
  ask patches
    [ ifelse live-neighbors = 3
        [ cell-birth ]
        [ if live-neighbors != 2
            [ cell-death ] ] ]
end

to add-cells
  if mouse-down?
    [ ask patch-at mouse-xcor mouse-ycor
        [ cell-birth ] ]
end

to remove-cells
  if mouse-down?
    [ ask patch-at mouse-xcor mouse-ycor
        [ cell-death ] ]
end


; ***NetLogo Model Copyright Notice***

; This model was created as part of the project: CONNECTED MATHEMATICS:
; MAKING SENSE OF COMPLEX PHENOMENA THROUGH BUILDING OBJECT-BASED PARALLEL
; MODELS (OBPML).  The project gratefully acknowledges the support of the
; National Science Foundation (Applications of Advanced Technologies
; Program) -- grant numbers RED #9552950 and REC #9632612.

; Copyright 1998 by Uri Wilensky. All rights reserved.
; Converted from StarLogoT to NetLogo, 2001.

; Permission to use, modify or redistribute this model is hereby granted,
; provided that both of the following requirements are followed:
; a) this copyright notice is included.
; b) this model will not be redistributed for profit without permission
;    from Uri Wilensky.
; Contact Uri Wilensky for appropriate licenses for redistribution for
; profit.

; To refer to this model in academic publications, please use:
; Wilensky, U. (1998).  NetLogo Life model.
; http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/Life.
; Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling,
; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

; ***End NetLogo Model Copyright Notice***
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GRAPHICS-WINDOW
290
10
618
338
20
20
8.0
1
10
0
0

CC-WINDOW
289
340
619
471
Command Center

SLIDER
126
45
282
78
initial-density
initial-density
0.0
1.0
0.3
0.01
1
NIL

BUTTON
17
46
119
79
NIL
setup-random
NIL
1
T
OBSERVER

BUTTON
16
186
94
219
go-once
go
NIL
1
T
OBSERVER

BUTTON
105
186
196
219
go-forever
go
T
1
T
OBSERVER

SLIDER
13
347
150
380
fgcolor
fgcolor
0.0
139.0
133.0
1.0
1
NIL

SLIDER
13
380
150
413
bgcolor
bgcolor
0.0
139.0
79.0
1.0
1
NIL

BUTTON
157
363
253
396
recolor
ifelse living?\n  [ set pcolor fgcolor ]\n  [ set pcolor bgcolor ]
NIL
1
T
PATCH

MONITOR
16
241
119
290
current density
count patches with\n  [living?]\n/ count patches * 100
2
1

BUTTON
17
10
119
43
NIL
setup-blank
NIL
1
T
OBSERVER

TEXTBOX
132
89
285
177
When one of these buttons is down, you can add or remove cells by holding down the mouse button and "drawing".

BUTTON
17
85
120
120
NIL
add-cells
T
1
T
OBSERVER

BUTTON
17
124
120
162
NIL
remove-cells
T
1
T
OBSERVER

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WHAT IS IT?
-----------
This program is an example of a two-dimensional cellular automaton. A cellular automaton is a computational machine that performs actions based on certain rules.  It can be thought of as a board which is divided into cells (such as square cells of a checkerboard).  Each cell can be either on or off.  This is called the "state" of the cell.  According to specified rules, each cell will be on (alive) or off (dead) at the next time step.

This particular cellular automaton is called The Game of Life. The rules of the game are as follows.  Each cell checks the state of itself and its eight surrounding neighbors and then sets itself to either on or off, depending upon the rule.  The rule is as follows:  If there are less than two "on" neighbors, then the cell turns off.  If there are more than three "on" neighbors, the cell turns off.  If there are 2 "on" neighbors, the cell remains in the state it is in.  If there are exactly three "on" neighbors, the cell turns on. This is done in parallel and continues forever.

There are certain recurring shapes in Life, for example, the "glider" and the "blinker".  The glider is composed of 5 cells which form a small arrow-headed shape, like this:

   X
    X
  XXX

This glider will wiggle across the screen, retaining its shape.  A blinker is a block of three cells (either up and down or left and right) that rotates between horizontal and vertical orientations.


HOW TO USE IT
-------------
The INITIAL-DENSITY slider determines the initial density of cells that are alive.  SETUP-RANDOM places these cells.  GO-FOREVER runs the rule forever.  GO-ONCE runs the rule once.

The background color and foreground color can be set via the sliders.  Just adjust the sliders and click SET-COLORS. It may take some experimentation to find the colors that you want.


THINGS TO NOTICE
----------------
Find some objects that are alive, but motionless.

Is there a "critical density" - one at which all change and motion stops/eternal motion begins?


THINGS TO TRY
-------------
Are there any recurring shapes other than gliders and blinkers?

Build some objects that don't die (using "add-cells")

How much life can the board hold and still remain motionless and unchanging? (use "add-cells") 

The glider gun is a large conglomeration of cells that repeatedly spits out gliders.  Find a "glider gun" (very, very difficult!).


EXTENDING THE MODEL
-------------------
Give some different rules to life and see what happens.

Experiment with using neighbors4 instead of neighbors (see below).


LANGUAGE FEATURES
------------------
The neighbors primitive returns the agentset of the patches to the north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest.  So "count neighbors with [living?]" counts how many of those eight patches have the living? patch variable set to true.

neighbors4 is like neighbors but only uses the patches to the north, south, east, and west.  Some cellular automata are defined using the 8-neighbors rule, others the 4-neighbors.


RELATED MODELS
--------------
Cellular Automata 1D - a model that shows all 256 possible simple 1D cellular automata
CA 1D Totalistic - a model that shows all 2,187 possible 1D 3-color totalistic cellular automata
CA 1D Rule 30 - the basic rule 30 model
CA 1D Rule 30 Turtle - the basic rule 30 model implemented using turtles
CA 1D Rule 90 - the basic rule 90 model
CA 1D Rule 110 - the basic rule 110 model
CA 1D Rule 250 - the basic rule 250 model


REFERENCES AND CREDITS
-------------------
The Game of Life was invented by John Horton Conway.

To refer to this model in academic publications, please use: Wilensky, U. (1998).  NetLogo Life model. http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/Life. Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

See also:

Von Neumann, J. and Burks, A. W., Eds, 1966. Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata. University of Illinois Press, Champaign, IL.

"LifeLine: A Quarterly Newsletter for Enthusiasts of John Conway's Game of Life", nos. 1-11, 1971-1973.

Martin Gardner, "Mathematical Games: The fantastic combinations of John Conway's new solitaire game `life',", Scientific American, October, 1970, pp. 120-123. 

Martin Gardner, "Mathematical Games: On cellular automata, self-reproduction, the Garden of Eden, and the game `life',", Scientific American, February, 1971, pp. 112-117. 

Berlenkamp, Conway, and Guy, Winning Ways for your Mathematical Plays, Academic Press: New York, 1982.

William Poundstone, The Recursive Universe, William Morrow: New York, 1985. 
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default
true
0
Polygon -7566196 true true 150 5 40 250 150 205 260 250

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NetLogo 1.1 (Rev B)
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