Replication studies: Playing around with flocking studies. I have a strong interest in agent based models (ABM). Why? Because ABM are at their core mathematical model of systems of interacting components. That is systems where the agents behavior is influenced by that of other agents in the system. Feedback effects from the system (agents + environments) can have a surprising impact on the behavior of otherwise simple agents.
An example of that is flocking models (Vicsek Model) where every single agent individually moves on a 2D plane like a brownian particle but by putting them all together and by introducing in the agent's equation of motion a attracting/repeling force such that each agent is slighly attract to agents within a certain distance but tries not be too close (repulsion): we observe flocking and herding behavior. Essentiall self-organization. I provide a script and a gif below of the simulation.
