Conway’s Game of Life & Random Walk Simulations

This repository contains Python scripts demonstrating two main concepts:

1. Conway’s Game of Life – a classic cellular automaton where cells evolve based on neighbor counts.
2. Random Walk – a simple demonstration of cells moving at random on a grid.

All scripts target Python 3 and use NumPy and matplotlib for array operations and animations.

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1. Conway’s Game of Life

Overview

The Game of Life scripts allow you to configure and visualize various initial patterns (random, beacon, glider, glider gun, etc.) and watch them evolve for a specified number of iterations.

Key files:

• gol.py:

  • neighbours(i, j, world): Determines the next state of a cell based on how many neighbors it has.
  • gen(world): Creates the next iteration of the entire grid.
  • animate(world, nt, rep): Uses matplotlib.animation to produce an animation over nt iterations, optionally repeating.
  • start(): Interactively prompts for grid size, pattern type, and iteration count, then runs the animation.

• grid.py:

  • MakeGrid class with methods (randomGrid, beacon, glider, gliderGun, etc.) to create different initial states of the grid.

Dependencies

• Python 3.x
• NumPy
• matplotlib

How to Run

1. Install dependencies (if needed):

   pip install numpy matplotlib

2. Run the script:

 python gol.py

3. Respond to prompts: Number of columns, number of rows Grid type (0 for random, 1 for beacon, 2 for glider, 3 for glider gun, etc.) Number of iterations Whether to repeat the animation (yes/no)

A window opens showing the grid evolving. Note: Large grids or large iteration counts can slow down the animation.

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2. Random Walk

Overview

The Random Walk script shows a cell with value 1 moving around on a 2D grid, leaving a trail of 2s. Each time step, the script randomly picks a direction (up, down, left, or right) and moves that cell accordingly.

Key points:

• makeGrid(): Creates a 60×60 grid with one cell set to 1 in the center.
• gen(world): Picks a random direction for any 1 cell, moves it, and marks previous positions with 2.
• animate(world, nt): Animates nt frames using matplotlib.animation.

Dependencies

• Python 3.x
• NumPy
• matplotlib

How to Run

1. Install dependencies (if not already done):

   pip install numpy matplotlib

2. Run the script:

 python randwalk.py

3. The script will:

• Create a 60×60 grid (one cell set to 1)
• Animate 80 steps (or however many you configure), updating the grid each frame
• Display the result as a simple random movement pattern
• A window will open showing the random walk in progress.

References

• Conway’s Game of Life
• Random walk