Faculty Sponsor(s)
Joelle Murray
Location
Vivian A. Bull Music Center: Delkin Recital Hall
Subject Area
Physics/Applied Physics
Description
A physical system is considered complex if individual components independently follow simple rules of motion but the system, as a whole, exhibits more elaborate, unexpected properties. Many different systems in nature show properties of complexity, making understanding such systems valuable. We study behaviors of fly swarms and the possible complex properties that swarms exhibit, arising from individual fly interactions. A simple stochastic fly swarm model was created to investigate the relationship between the average radius of the swarm and the number of individuals within it, as experimental data shows a power law scaling of the number of flies to average radius. In addition, this model is used to distinguish between swarming and non-swarming behavior.
Recommended Citation
Taylor, Troy and Murray, Joelle, "Quantifying Complex Systems via Computational Fly Swarms" (2019). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 68.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2019/all/68
Quantifying Complex Systems via Computational Fly Swarms
Vivian A. Bull Music Center: Delkin Recital Hall
A physical system is considered complex if individual components independently follow simple rules of motion but the system, as a whole, exhibits more elaborate, unexpected properties. Many different systems in nature show properties of complexity, making understanding such systems valuable. We study behaviors of fly swarms and the possible complex properties that swarms exhibit, arising from individual fly interactions. A simple stochastic fly swarm model was created to investigate the relationship between the average radius of the swarm and the number of individuals within it, as experimental data shows a power law scaling of the number of flies to average radius. In addition, this model is used to distinguish between swarming and non-swarming behavior.
