Re: talking good

[Bill Griffin]

I teach observation analysis of couple and family interaction while trying
to model the behavior using Swarm.  I think this is an excellent example of
teaching the concept of simple rules.  I usually resort to a lot of hand
waving connected to several hypothetical "assumes and what ifs."  This makes
the relationship between the relevant entities clear and tangible (and
accountable to some rule).  Thanks for the example - I'll use it in class.
bill


----- Original Message -----
From: Kathy and Ray La Belle <address@hidden>
To: <address@hidden>
Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2000 3:33 AM
Subject: Re: talking good


> I am afraid I can't help but respond to this one. I am trying to convince
my
> management that we need to do complex modeling. I am an engineer. I design
> laundry machines. And believe me they are much more complicated than you
would
> think. Ever tried to figure out how and why clothes move? How should they
be
> moved to actually clean? We have some methods to do this. We run into
> difficulties in the area of sub-system intergration. It is difficult to
feed the
> effects of the structure system into the fluid handling system (as an
example).
>
> I keep trying to convince people that the water molecules only know
certain
> things. If we model all the entities and all the rules of the groups of
entities,
> it may be possible to understand these systems in a deeper way.
>
> I am an electrical engineer. I am working with some chemical and
mechanical Phd
> types. I have a hubby (Ray) that just happens to program.  How do I create
a
> model? How do I get information from the Phd types that actually means
something
> in the programming world? I am trying to create a simple model of
diffusion in 2d
> as an exercise.
>
> My first attempt with the Phd types got me equations. I explained these
were
> observed effects. This was definately NOT what I needed. And Ray could not
use
> this to create a model.
>
> I went out and got some red, blue, and white poker chips and a table cloth
with a
> "grid" on it. Of course, the Phd types laughed at me. But after I
explained that
> the chips were entities and what did the individual entities know about
their
> environment, they decided "hey this is cool". I grouped the blue chips and
> assigned a chip to each of the chemists. One was in the center of the
group.
> Another was at the outer edge. I called the game "diffusion" and said the
goal of
> the game was to get evenly diffused. And just to make it fun, they get to
make up
> their own rules :)
>
> We discussed if how much each molecule would "know, feel, see" about its
> environment. Would they know about every molecule (chip) in existance? Or
only
> the ones nearby?
>
>  Initially, I started out with one entitiy type in a "empty space". Then
we
> discussed using red chips as the medium and the blue as the ones to
disperse.
> After we master "dispersion", we can make the "game" more complicated by
> assigning properties to the different entities such as hyrdophoblic &
> hydrophilic, miscible & immiscible, and even combining into new compounds.
The
> point is to learn to think as a particular entity (or swarm) would think.
We know
> if we are right if the emerged properties match all those complicated
equations
> we use on the macro level.
>
> My counterparts went away and took the chips with them. After a few good
> arguments in their office, they came back with rules I could actually use!
The
> main purpose of the exercise was to explain agent based modelling to them.
I need
> them to learn to think "as if they were the entity". I may have to get
tinker
> toys to show how molecular chains move ....
>
> I decided to tell you about this experience because this "game" could be
used for
> all types of people. Alot of people need something visual to understand
ideas.
> This concept can be transferred into other fields.
>
>
Kathy
> La Belle
>
> Note: the opinions expressed by me do not represent the company I work for
> (disclaimer)
>
>
>
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   Swarm-Modelling is for discussion of Simulation and Modelling techniques
   esp. using Swarm.  For list administration needs (esp. [un]subscribing),
   please send a message to <address@hidden> with "help" in the
   body of the message.
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