Activity Description Run the classic game of life, learning about probabilities, chaos and simulation. This activity allows the user to run a randomly generated world or test out various patterns. This is a very powerful activity with a wide range of options. It runs in a separate window.

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Life

Place in mathematics curriculum:

• demonstrate randomness
• motivate the ideas of chaos
• introduce the idea of order/patterns in chaos

This activity allows the user to simulate a game that imitates real life. This activity would work well in mixed ability groups of three to five for about forty-five to fifty minutes if you use the exploration questions and fifteen to twenty minutes otherwise.

Preparations for this activity:

• answer the question "How can there be order in chaos; isn't that the opposite of the definition of chaos?"
• discuss the idea of chaos