Firefly (flash synchrony)

This model demonstrates a population of fireflies which synchronize their flashing using only the interactions between the individual fireflies. It is a good example of how a distributed system (i.e. a system with many interacting elements, but no 'leader') can coordinate itself without any central coordinator.

For detailed instructions on using the program, take a look at the info window from the Firefly (flash synchrony) model.

Download the StarLogoT source code for the Firefly (flash synchrony) model:
Download firefly

To run this file you need StarLogoT2002 for the Macintosh.
(download StarLogoT)

Click on one of the pictures to see a quicktime movie of the model:
This movie shows a randomly initialized population of fireflies synchronize its flashing (1.3 MB). A graph is shown on the right.

Parameters: number = 1500, cycle-length = 10, number-flashes = 1, flash-length = 1