Complex systems arising in the real world often defy direct mathematical analysis or are difficult to measure in a comprehensive fashion. This is where computational models can provide key insight. This page holds links to examples of a number of problems for which insight can be gained through the use of simple computational models which have been implemented as Java applets to experiment with.
Traffic Jams
Everyone's been stuck in a traffic jam! A remarkably simple
cellular automata can provide a way to examine how jams form
and propagate. Click here.
Desert World
This applet investigates desert formation on a model planet.
This is a generalisation of the DaisyWorld model used to
study Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis.
Click here to
see more.
Diffusion Limited Growth
This applet investigates metal deposition on a substrate
with or without the addition of a 'leveller'.
Click here.
Limited Altruism
This applet was developed to study the impact of limited
altruistic behaviour in a simple model ecosystem.
Click here.
Ecosse
Ecosse is a program which models food webs formed
by predators and prey with a representation of evolution.
Click here.