Four rules. Nothing else. Tap the squares, then press Play.
Generation 0Alive 0
The board wraps around at the edges.
Put a pattern on the boardThe four rules
Lonely
A live square with 0 or 1 live neighbours dies.
Fine
A live square with 2 or 3 live neighbours stays alive.
Crowded
A live square with 4 or more live neighbours dies.
Birth
An empty square with exactly 3 live neighbours comes alive.
Every square has 8 neighbours, sides and corners. All squares change at the same moment: count first, then update. Press Show counts to see the neighbour numbers (big cells only).
Challenges
Draw three squares in a row. Press Step twice. What did it do? That is the blinker.
Draw the glider (the five-square shape from the handout). Step it 4 times. It moved one square diagonally. Did any single square move?
Longest life from 5 squares: draw any five, press Play, watch the generation counter until it settles. Shout out your best number.
Class activity: Big board, Random, Play. Raise your hand. Lower it when the board says Settled. What is left over? Find a block, a blinker, a beehive. That leftover is called ash.
Load the Glider gun on the Big board and let it run. Where do the gliders go on a board that wraps around?
Draw your initials. Press Play. Most letters die or settle fast. Which letter lives longest?