https://github.com/cyotek/langtonsantsimulator

A Langton's ant simulator written in C#
https://github.com/cyotek/langtonsantsimulator

csharp langtons-ant simulation

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A Langton's ant simulator written in C#

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/cyotek/langtonsantsimulator
• Owner: cyotek
• License: mit
• Created: 2020-09-19T08:34:26.000Z (over 4 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2020-09-19T08:34:34.000Z (over 4 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-01-29T20:50:50.272Z (11 months ago)
• Topics: csharp, langtons-ant, simulation
• Language: C#
• Homepage:
• Size: 365 KB
• Stars: 5
• Watchers: 1
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE.txt

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README

        
# Langton's ant simulator

![The running simulation][6]

This is my second implementation of a Langton's ant simulator,

this time written in C#. I wrote it in 2011 for a [C# Helper

contest][5].

## About Langton's ant

Langton's ant is a two-dimensional universal Turing machine with

a very simple set of rules but complex emergent behavior.

Squares on a plane are colored variously either black or white.

We arbitrarily identify one square as the "ant". The ant can

travel in any of the four cardinal directions at each step it

takes. The "ant" moves according to the rules below:

* At a white square, turn 90° clockwise, flip the color of the

  square, move forward one unit

* At a black square, turn 90° counter-clockwise, flip the color

  of the square, move forward one unit

(Paraphrased from the [Wikipedia][1] page)

## About the code

I haven't looked at this code in years, but I remember that I

_horribly_ over-engineered the thing originally. Interfaces

everywhere!

However, I fired it up to take the screenshot at the top of this

document and it still works perfectly fine.

![Simulation of twenty ants after 4000 moves][3]

![Simulation of twenty ants after 15000 moves][4]

## Acknowledgements

* Rod Stephens of [C# Helper][8] for the idea in the first place

  (although I'm almost certain this is the second Langton's ant

  simulator I made, I'm sure I did one in Visual Basic 6,

  probably also for a Rod Stephens competition!)

* The ant icon used by the program by [Martin Berube][7]

* [Yusuke Kamiyamane's][8] Fugue Icons

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langton's_ant

[2]: 1%20ant%20move%2015000.png

[3]: 20%20ants%20move%204000.png

[4]: 20%20ants%20move%2015000.png

[5]: http://csharphelper.com/blog/2011/02/contest-langtons-ant-simulation/

[6]: simulation11000.png

[7]: http://www.iconarchive.com/show/animal-icons-by-martin-berube/ant-icon.html

[8]: http://p.yusukekamiyamane.com/