Team: 128
School: MONTE DEL SOL/SF PREP
Area of Science: Astrophysics
Interim:
Problem Definition
In the past decade, scientists have created simulations such as the Millennium Simulation and the "Universe in a Box" simulation to study cosmology. These simulations use supercomputers to trace the evolution of the universe from a homogeneous initial state to its present state. In our project, we will create a similar simulation in NetLogo3D, a newly released environment for three-dimensional simulations. The project will attempt to show how structures, such as galaxies and galaxy superclusters, arise in our universe.
Problem Solution
To investigate the topic, we will choose an appropriate set of physical equations and observe the movement of matter in a computer simulation. The mathematical model for our computer simulation is an extension of the Big Bang model called the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) scenario. The model will use agent-based logic to investigate the formation of structures and how initial conditions affect matter distribution.
Progress to Date
So far our project has been very stagnant. The main difficulty has been finding useful technical information. While many print sources are too technical, most online sources do not provide the mathematics that we need to develop the simulation.
Expected Results
We expect that our simulation will produce results similar to the well-known Millennium and "Universe in a Box" simulations. Our main concern now is developing a mathematical model.
Team Members:
Sonja Romero
Sponsoring Teacher: NA