Tells each patch to give equal shares of (number * 100) percent of the value of patch-variable to its eight neighboring patches. number should be between 0 and 1. Regardless of topology the sum of patch-variable will be conserved across the world. (If a patch has fewer than eight neighbors, each neighbor still gets an eighth share; the patch keeps any leftover shares.)
Note that this is an observer command only, even though you might expect it to be a patch command. (The reason is that it acts on all the patches at once -- patch commands act on individual patches.)
diffuse chemical 0.5 ;; each patch diffuses 50% of its variable ;; chemical to its neighboring 8 patches. Thus, ;; each patch gets 1/8 of 50% of the chemical ;; from each neighboring patch.)
Take me to the full NetLogo Dictionary