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For Students · Langton's Ant

Langton's Ant for a rumor spreading

Built for students learning it for a class or exam. See the concept move instead of memorizing formulas — and check your homework intuition. Simulate a rumor spreading live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.

Langton's AntLive

two rules, emergent order

Controls

Speed1×

Presets

Speed (steps/frame)

Two rules: on white, turn right and flip the cell; on black, turn left and flip. After about 10,000 steps of apparent chaos, the ant spontaneously builds a periodic highway — order from simplicity.

▶ Run in Python

Data Inspector

Steps0

Highway at~10,000

Grid130²

Governing equation

s_{n + 1} = {turn right, c \to 1 turn left, c \to 0 c = 0 (white) c = 1 (black) n = 0

Reading this result: Early on the trail is small and near-symmetric — the same two rules run every step, so the outcome is fully deterministic no matter the speed.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this good for students?: Yes — this version of "Langton's Ant for a rumor spreading" is framed for students learning it for a class or exam. See the concept move instead of memorizing formulas — and check your homework intuition.
Do I need to install anything?: No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.