My Favorite NetLogo Models

NetLogo comes with a library of sample models that demonstrate phenomena from physics, chemistry, biology, social science, earth science, computer science, etc. Here are some of my favorites:

Emergence

Mathematics/Fractals/Mandlebrot

This model shows how an interesting and complex fractal can emerge from the behavior of agents doing simple computations.

Computer Science/Cellular Automata/CA 1D Elementary

This is Wolfram's simple model from New Kind of Science (NKS). Using a 1D CA with only 256 possible update rules, he shows how four different levels of complexity can arise: fixed point, cyclical, chaotic, and universal.

Wisdom of Crowds

When we think of a crowd we think of mobs, riots, stampedes. But crowds of agents doing simple things can solve complex problems.

Biology/Termites

Biology/Ants

Biology/Fireflies

Biology/Flocking

Biology/Daisy World

Tipping Points

Sometimes a small change can have a big effect. Avalanches, panics, and rebellions are examples.

Social Science/Rebellion

Ethnocentrism

How can a society be ethnocentric if its members are not?

Social Science/Segregation

Social Science/Ethnocentrism

Social Evolution

There are four basic types of interactions between agents: cooperation, altruism, selfishness, vindictiveness.

Biology/Evolution/Altruism

Biology/Evolution/Cooperate

Biology/Wolf-Sheep Predation

Social Science/Prisoner's Dilemma/PD Basic Evolutionary

The PD models reduce interactions between agents to a basic game.

Social Science/Prisoner's Dilemma/PD N-Person Iterated

Economics

Economies are emergent phenomena.

Social Science/Unverified/Bank Reserves

Social Science/Wealth Distribution

This is essentially SugarScape. It's a nice demo of Pareto Principle.

Evolution

Biology/Evolution/Echo

A general framework for competition and mating in an environment with a fixed amount of resources.

Plague

Biology/AIDS

This model shows how we can think of a NetLogo model as a kind of virtual lab for experimenting with possible policies.