matlab

[Kathy and Ray La Belle]

Thanks for the input on matlab. I really appreciate it.

I want to create a model that the macro properties are "emerged" from
the molecular rules. For example, water molecules only know, feel, and
do certain things. Somehow, this evolves into turbulance. I have the
liberty of making these broad conclusions because I really know very
little about these fields. When molecules diffuse, they really don't
look at every molecule in the environment and decide where they need to
go. They just know something about their neighbors and with a little
help of randomness, they move.

I see a multi-layered scheme where the molecules individually act a
certain way. The groups of molecules act another way. These layers add
up in different ways until I get to the machine level. Molecules ->
fibers -> thread -> weave of fabric -> cloth. The cloth has properties
that are different from the threads.

I haven't quite convinced my management to devote the resources required
to create agent based models. But I am pretty sure we need to use an
agent based modeling  system of some sort. Others are doing what I want
to do with swarm. Because of this, I am inclined to use swarm. The other
side of my organization (and I am at the bottom) is familar with matlab
and wants us to try it first. My view is to let them use matlab (they
will be busy for a while) and I will use swarm ;)

Ray is trying to get a simplified model of diffusion up and running to
show our management how swarm works. He is making progress. We now have
a world with bugs in it and they move. He is working on adding the
graphical picture. We are trying to create a "demo" that makes sense to
our management. They don't understand what heatbugs have to do with our
work.

I get these "wouldn't it be neat if we ...." ideas and then I get Ray
(my husband) to code them for me. I also have to get all the rules from
the chemical/mechanical types in our organization. So when I say "we" it
is rarely "me".


Thanks again,


Kathy La Belle



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