Lecture 6 - Pattern Formation I

Pattern Formation

In this lecture we started our discussion on pattern formation, the emergence of order and structure from homogeneous or random initial conditions. The lecture gave a brief overview of patterns we observe in natural systems. Examples of pattern forming systems we discussed in this lecture were:

• Rayleigh-Bénard Convection
• The Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction Diffusion System
• Aggregation of the Slime-Mold Dictyostelium Discoideum
• Pattern in the Visual Cortex
• Animal Furs
• etc.

All the examples are compiled in the online slide deck, including instructive videos:

Slides on Pattern Formation

At the end we started exploring basic mechanism of pattern formation. We discussed two basic models

• the spatial voter model
• the spatial majority model

It is instructive to explore those two models again, which you can do here:

Voter & Majority Model