The
SETUP button arranges the fireflies randomly within a circle, assigns them
random excitation levels, configures the plot to monitor the flashing,
and displays a color key.
The GO button
cycles through time, executing the rules stated above.
The NUMBER
slider controls the number of fireflies in the simulation.
The THRESHOLD
slider sets the excitation threshold at which point a firefly will flash
and reset its excitation to zero. Because excitation is incremented once
per time step, this slider also represents the number of time steps between
flashes of an (uninfluenced) firefly.
The TRIGGER
slider controls the amount of luminescence required for a firefly to reset
its excitation prematurely. Each firefly's flash is counted as 100 units
of light, and the program assumes that perceived light decreases with the
inverse square of the distance from source.
The BUFFER
slider controls how many time steps are necessary for the flashing signal
to evolve and terminate in a flash; if a firefly is triggered to reset
its excitation when the excitation is within "buffer" of the threshold,
the flash will proceed as planned despite the resetting. |