Flocking

'''Flocking''' is the collective motion of a large number of self-propelled entities and is a collective animal behavior exhibited by many living beings such as birds, fish, bacteria, and insects. It is an example of [[Swarm_Intelligence|swarm intelligence]]. Flocking behavior was first simulated on a computer in 1986 by Craig Reynolds with his simulation program, [[Boids_Model|Boids]]. This program simulates simple agents (boids) that are allowed to move according to a set of basic rules. The result is akin to a flock of birds, a school of fish, or a swarm of insects.

Basic models of flocking behavior are controlled by three simple rules:

# Separation - avoid crowding neighbors (short range repulsion)
# Alignment - steer towards average heading of neighbors
# Cohesion - steer towards average position of neighbors (long range attraction)

In short: stay close to the group, but stay away from individuals. With these simple rules, the flock moves in a realistic way, creating complex motion and interaction that would be extremely hard to create otherwise.


== Links ==

* Wikipedia entry for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flocking_(behavior) flocking behavior]