Click on cells to turn them on or off (living or not-living) or select one of the sample settings below the grid.

Use the buttons on the right of the grid to run through either one or ten generations, or to reset the grid.

This grid is relatively small to minimize the Javascript initialization and processing time. This changes “proper” game behavior by introducing a fixed edge.

Sample settings:

(For a discussion of the terms used in these samples, see the text below.)

Glider — A simple object that moves across the grid and will evolve into a still-life. (67 generations)

Sample 1 — An example simulation that will evolve into an oscillator and some still-lifes. (80 generations)

Sample 2 — A longer-running simulation that will evolve into two still-lifes. (149 generations)

This simple "cellular automata" simulation is based on a grid of cells. Each gray cell marks an empty space (non-living). Each green cell contains a living entity. Any set of neighboring entities is called a colony.

Click on a cell to change it between an empty cell and an occupied cell. Use the buttons next to the grid to run through one or ten generations, or to reset the grid to empty.

The original rules followed by Conway's definition are simple:

  • If an entity has only one neighbor, it will die from lack of stimulation in the next generation.
  • An entity with two or three neighbors will thrive and survive into the next generation.
  • If an entity has four or more neighbors, it will die from overcrowding in the next generation.
  • If an empty cell has exactly three neighbor entities, a new entity will be born in the cell in the next generation.

These rules apply to an infinite grid. In this particular simulation the grid is limited, and the edges are treated as permanently non-living.

In addition to these rules (which can be identified by the expression "23/3" to represent continued life with 2 or 3 neighbors, and birth with exactly three neighbors) many other possibilities can be realized.

A variety of patterns can be generated from most of these variations (although the patterns themselves will be different) including:

  • still-lifes: colonies that don't change,
  • oscillators: colonies that alternate between two patterns, and
  • gliders: colonies that move across the grid.