Exploring Swarm Behavior: An Undergraduate Project in Physics and Computer Programming

Guenter Bischof; Konrad Dobetsberger; Markus Ensbacher; Christian J. Steinmann; Alexander Strutzenberger

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Engineering Physics and Physics Division (EP2D) Technical Session 2
Tagged Division: Engineering Physics and Physics Division (EP2D)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47428

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Paper Authors

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Guenter Bischof Joanneum University of Applied Sciences

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Guenter Bischof is currently an associate professor at Joanneum University of Applied Sciences and teaches engineering and applied mathematics.

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Konrad Dobetsberger Joanneum University of Applied Sciences

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Konrad Dobetsberger is currently studying Automotive Engineering at Joanneum University of Applied Sciences. Prior to attending university, he completed his education at a higher technical education institute with a major in mechatronics.

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Markus Ensbacher Joanneum University of Applied Sciences

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Markus Ensbacher is currently studying Automotive Engineering at Joanneum University of Applied
Sciences. His research interests encompass internal combustion engines, drivetrain technologies, and chassis development. Prior to attending university, he completed his education at a higher technical education institute
with a major in mechanical engineering.

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Christian J. Steinmann

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Christian Steinmann has an engineer degree in mathematics from the Technical University Graz, where he focused on software quality and software development process assessment and improvement. He is manager of HM&S IT-Consulting and provides services for S

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Alexander Strutzenberger Joanneum University of Applied Sciences

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Alexander Strutzenberger is currently studying Automotive Engineering at Joanneum University of Applied Sciences. Prior to his studies he visited a secondary school with a focus on natural sciences.

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Abstract

Collective motion, epitomized by the fascinating spectacle of birds flocking in unison or fish moving cohesively through the depths of the ocean, has captivated the human imagination for centuries. Beyond its aesthetic allure, this natural phenomenon demonstrates self-organization, where order arises from disorder without centralized control. This self-organizing principle finds equivalents in physical phenomena such as phase transitions and spontaneous symmetry breaking and has also significant implications in biology, chemistry, robotics, and even social sciences. As part of an interdisciplinary undergraduate student project at the intersection of physics, mathematics and computer programming, student teams were given the opportunity to immerse themselves into the world of self-organization and swarm behavior. Two models, the Vicsek and the Boids model, were used to simulate swarm behavior. The Vicsek model is a simple, mathematically rigorous approach rooted in statistical physics, while the Boids model emphasizes the behavioral aspect of collective motion, making it suitable for creating realistic animations and simulations of swarm behavior. In addition, it can be extended to include obstacles and environmental factors that affect the swarm behavior. The task of our students was to develop ̶ as a team of three ̶ a computer program in C#, in which both models are implemented and visualized. Teamwork was an additional challenge, as organizational skills were required in addition to the underlying task, such as holding meetings with collaborative decision-making, and an appropriate division of labor in the development of the software. The resulting computer program with an intuitively designed user interface allows the simulation of different scenarios due to a variety of adjustable parameters. The visual output of the program reflects the different model assumptions and thus promotes the understanding of model building in general and of self-organization and swarm behavior in particular. The program is freely available and can be downloaded from our institution’s home page.

Citation
Format

Bischof, G., & Dobetsberger, K., & Ensbacher, M., & Steinmann, C. J., & Strutzenberger, A. (2024, June), Exploring Swarm Behavior: An Undergraduate Project in Physics and Computer Programming Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47428

TY - CPAPER
AB - Collective motion, epitomized by the fascinating spectacle of birds flocking in unison or fish moving cohesively through the depths of the ocean, has captivated the human imagination for centuries. Beyond its aesthetic allure, this natural phenomenon demonstrates self-organization, where order arises from disorder without centralized control. This self-organizing principle finds equivalents in physical phenomena such as phase transitions and spontaneous symmetry breaking and has also significant implications in biology, chemistry, robotics, and even social sciences.
As part of an interdisciplinary undergraduate student project at the intersection of physics, mathematics and computer programming, student teams were given the opportunity to immerse themselves into the world of self-organization and swarm behavior. Two models, the Vicsek and the Boids model, were used to simulate swarm behavior.
The Vicsek model is a simple, mathematically rigorous approach rooted in statistical physics, while the Boids model emphasizes the behavioral aspect of collective motion, making it suitable for creating realistic animations and simulations of swarm behavior. In addition, it can be extended to include obstacles and environmental factors that affect the swarm behavior.
The task of our students was to develop ̶ as a team of three ̶ a computer program in C#, in which both models are implemented and visualized. Teamwork was an additional challenge, as organizational skills were required in addition to the underlying task, such as holding meetings with collaborative decision-making, and an appropriate division of labor in the development of the software.
The resulting computer program with an intuitively designed user interface allows the simulation of different scenarios due to a variety of adjustable parameters. The visual output of the program reflects the different model assumptions and thus promotes the understanding of model building in general and of self-organization and swarm behavior in particular. The program is freely available and can be downloaded from our institution’s home page.

AU - Guenter Bischof
AU - Konrad Dobetsberger
AU - Markus Ensbacher
AU - Christian J. Steinmann
AU - Alexander Strutzenberger
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Exploring Swarm Behavior: An Undergraduate Project in Physics and Computer Programming
UR - https://peer.asee.org/47428
ER -