Today students were introduced to a forest fire model which, naturally, involved the burning of forests. This simple model gave a somewhat realistic example of forest fires, including such basic concedpts as the inability of burnt woods to be burned again. It wasn't a very academically challenging model, and was designed to prepare for a slightly more complex model called the Game of Life. This model involved making rules and then testing them to see if they were true for lifeforms interacting with one another.
After the students' returned from a hearty meal, Mike gave a lecture about modifying an existing model using Java. The students then used the Java devolpment kit to improve some of the models they had already written. Then, the TIP students were able to write some models themselves! The following hyperlinks should lead to both the models the students wrote as well as the models taught by Alton Patrick.