What is NetLogo?

NetLogo is a programmable modeling environment for simulating natural and social phenomena. It was authored by Uri Wilensky in 1999 and has been in continuous development ever since at the Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling.

NetLogo is particularly well suited for modeling complex systems developing over time. Modelers can give instructions to hundreds or thousands of "agents" all operating independently. This makes it possible to explore the connection between the micro-level behavior of individuals and the macro-level patterns that emerge from the interaction of many individuals.

NetLogo lets students open simulations and "play" with them, exploring their behavior under various conditions. It is also an authoring environment which enables students, teachers and curriculum developers to create their own models. NetLogo is simple enough that students and teachers can easily run simulations or even build their own. And, it is advanced enough to serve as a powerful tool for researchers in many fields.

NetLogo has extensive documentation and tutorials. It also comes with a Models Library, which is a large collection of pre-written simulations that can be used and modified. These simulations address many content areas in the natural and social sciences, including biology and medicine, physics and chemistry, mathematics and computer science, and economics and social psychology. Several model-based inquiry curricula using NetLogo are currently under development.

NetLogo can also power a classroom participatory-simulation tool called HubNet. Through the use of networked computers or handheld devices such as Texas Instruments graphing calculators, each student can control an agent in a simulation. Follow this link for more information.

NetLogo is the next generation of the series of multi-agent modeling languages that started with StarLogo. It builds off the functionality of our product StarLogoT and adds significant new features and a redesigned language and user interface. NetLogo runs on the Java virtual machine, so it works on all major platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux, et al). It is run as a standalone application, or from the command line. Models and HubNet activities can be run as Java applets in a web browser.

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