Conway's Game of Life
What is?
TL:DR a zero player game that evolves by itself from the initial configuration.
The Game of Life, also known simply as Life, is a cellular automaton devised by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970.
The game is a zero-player game, meaning that its evolution is determined by its initial state, requiring no further input. One interacts with the Game of Life by creating an initial configuration and observing how it evolves, or, for advanced players, by creating patterns with particular properties.
Rules
TL:DR dies when less than 2 neighors or more than 3 neighors; alive when have 2 or 3 neighors
The universe of the Game of Life is an infinite, two-dimensional orthogonal grid of square cells, each of which is in one of two possible states, alive or dead, (or populated and unpopulated, respectively). Every cell interacts with its eight neighbours, which are the cells that are horizontally, vertically, or diagonally adjacent. At each step in time, the following transitions occur:
- Any live cell with fewer than two live neighbors dies, as if by under population.
- Any live cell with two or three live neighbors lives on to the next generation.
- Any live cell with more than three live neighbors dies, as if by overpopulation.
- Any dead cell with exactly three live neighbors becomes a live cell, as if by reproduction.
The initial pattern constitutes the seed of the system. The first generation is created by applying the above rules simultaneously to every cell in the seed; births and deaths occur simultaneously, and the discrete moment at which this happens is sometimes called a tick. Each generation is a pure function of the preceding one. The rules continue to be applied repeatedly to create further generations.
Generalization for N-Dimensional
- Any live cell with fewer than X live neighbors dies, as if by under population.
- Any live cell with X or Y live neighbors lives on to the next generation.
- Any live cell with more than Y live neighbors dies, as if by overpopulation.
- Any dead cell with exactly Y live neighbors becomes a live cell, as if by reproduction.
Why is this important?
As you can see in the patterns demonstrated in Standord and/or from your own simulations using Simulation, you can see that very sophisticated patterns can be generated and observed from very simple rule. This implicates that the universe that we live in could also be based on a very few fundamental laws, and scientists are strieving to understand and find those laws that governs our universe.
What can still be done?
As you can see in Standord, 1D and 2D are easily coded and observed, but 3D is a bit harder to visualize, and there is still much to do for n-dimensional:
- Patten detection
- Rule learning and translating to understandable language
- N-Dimensional Visualization
- Multi-threading Code
How can it be done?
There are alot of ways to implement Conway's Game of Life. Java, C#, and Python all have greate visualization tools, and they are all easy to learn. Although this not a very sophisticated algorithm, but this program can touch many aspects of programming.
Conway’s Game of Life, often referred to simply as Life, is a fascinating zero-player game and cellular automaton created by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970. What makes it unique is that it evolves autonomously based on its initial configuration, requiring no further input. This captivating game allows enthusiasts to explore complex patterns and interactions without direct intervention.
The rules governing Conway’s Game of Life are relatively simple:
A cell dies if it has fewer than two live neighbors (underpopulation).
A cell survives to the next generation if it has two or three live neighbors.
A cell dies if it has more than three live neighbors (overpopulation).
A dead cell becomes alive if it has exactly three live neighbors (reproduction).
The game takes place on an infinite, two-dimensional grid of cells, with each cell being either alive or dead. Every cell interacts with its eight neighboring cells, including those in the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal directions. The evolution of the entire grid occurs simultaneously in discrete time steps, often referred to as “ticks.”
What’s particularly interesting about Conway’s Game of Life is its ability to generate complex patterns and behaviors from straightforward rules. This property mirrors the quest of scientists to uncover fundamental laws governing our universe based on simple principles.
In addition to the standard 2D version, there have been attempts to generalize the game to N dimensions, which presents new challenges and opportunities for exploration. Some areas of interest include pattern detection, rule learning, N-dimensional visualization, and optimizing code with multi-threading techniques.
Conway’s Game of Life can be implemented in various programming languages like Java, C#, and Python, all of which offer excellent visualization tools for observing and experimenting with the game’s dynamics. Despite its apparent simplicity, working with this program can touch upon various aspects of programming and computational thinking.
For those interested in tracking the history of Conway’s Game of Life patterns and exploring different configurations, there are dedicated websites and tools available. These resources provide a wealth of information and simulations related to the game, including its rich history and the remarkable patterns it can produce. One such aspect that enthusiasts often delve into is the analysis of CS 2 match history https://bo3.gg/matches/finished, where players can explore and study the outcomes of matches played in the popular game Counter-Strike 2 (CS2).