Week 2

[Alan Isaac]

In this thread I will post the daily readings and assignments.

Reminder:
All assignment due dates can be found on the Assignments page.
https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/hw/450hw.xhtml

[Alan Isaac]

Week 2: Monday
==================

Your one-paragraph course project description was due today.
Because of the low level of participation on the *Project Topics* thread,
I am delaying the due date until Wednesday.  I strongly encourage
discussing your intended term project topic with the class rather
than just selecting one in a vacuum.

Reminder: due dates are listed on the Assignments page:
https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/hw/450hw.xhtml
The first project may take up to 20 hours.
Plan your time carefully.

Currently I plan for the course to continue at its current speed.
If you are finding it too fast or too slow, please let me know
off list.  If I have many requests for a change of pace,
I will respond.

Comment: if you read in your own email reader, be sure to sort by subject.
That way, you will read related posts together.  (It is important for every to
keep discussions on the appropriate thread for online discussion to work.) If
you use the web interface to our Google group, related posts are automatically
grouped together. (Occasionaly I will also add a "tag"; you can display all the
posts for a tag by click the tag.


Assignments
------------

- Finish up your one-paragraph project description.
  Submit via Blackboard.
- In the thread *Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation*,
  discuss the new required readings with your classmates.
  Suggested emphases: what features are necessary to a useful "agent",
  and when to use agent-based modeling.
  (Please postpone discussion of the ODD protocol.)
- In the *NetLogo Basics* thread,
  post your procedures for the Talking to Turtles exercise.
  Discuss the posted solutions.
- In the *Project Topics* thread,
  discuss your course project with the class.
  Remember, a one paragraph project description is due **this week**.
  If you have not already decided on a topic for your course project
  (see the syllabus), please discuss possibilities on our discussion list.


Readings
--------

Reminder: discussions are based on the assigned readings.

**Required reading:**

- Lecture Slides: Introduction to Simulation Modeling
  (section: Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation)
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/notes/compute-models.xhtml#agent-based-modeling-and-simulation
- [railsback.grimm-2011-pup]_ ch. 2
- [squazzoni-2010-hei]_
  http://www2.econ.iastate.edu/tesfatsi/ABMHistory.FSquazzoni.2010.pdf

Graduate students should additionally read:

- [macal_north-2010-jsim]_
  http://www2.econ.iastate.edu/tesfatsi/ABMTutorial.MacalNorth.JOS2010.pdf

**Recommended (i.e., entirely optional) reading and resources:**

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKFheO6MiY8 (Wurzer's tutorials #2 (procedures and buttons))

[Alan Isaac]

Week 2: Tuesday
==================

Comment: this week, you will learn a lot about NetLogo programming.
For some of you, this will be the most challenging material in
the course.  Make sure you sink the necessary time into it!

Reminder: your one-paragraph course project description is due tomorrow!


Assignments
------------

- Do Part I of the Coin Flipping exercise.
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/hw/450hw.xhtml#coin-flipping
  (Comment: complete Tutorial #3 before attempting this assignment.)
  Post your questions, comments, and observations
  in the *NetLogo Programming* thread.
- Begin implementing the Mushroom Hunt model of [railsback.grimm-2011-pup]_ ch. 2.
  Post your questions and comments to the *Mushroom Hunt* thread.
  (Please do not post your code yet.)
- Discuss your course project with the class.
  Please use the *Project Topics* thread.
  Remember, a one paragraph project description is due by **tomorrow**.

  If you have not already decided on a topic for your course project
  (see the syllabus), please discuss possibilities on our discussion list.



Readings
--------

**Required reading:**

- Lecture Slides: NetLogo Programming
  (sections: Building NetLogo Models: First Steps
  and NetLogo Programming Language: Programming in NetLogo)
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/notes/netlogo-intro.xhtml

- [railsback.grimm-2011-pup]_ ch. 2

Graduate students should additionally read:

- nothing extra today

**Recommended (i.e., entirely optional) reading and resources:**

- Gabriel Wurzer's NetLogo slides (slides 38-55, ``setup`` and ``go``)
  http://aia11.nhm-wien.ac.at/downloads/NetLogoLecture-Intro.pdf
- [gilbert-2007-abm]_ ch. 4
  http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/17241_Chapter_4.pdf

[Alan Isaac]

Week 2: Wednesday
==================

**Reminder:**
Your one-paragraph course project description is due today!

**Reminder:**
Timely and substantive participation in the discussions is
a graded activity.

**Reminder:**
Discussions are based on the assigned readings.
The assigned readings are detailed on the syllabus,
which is available via Blackboard.


Assignments
------------

- Do Part II of the Coin Flipping exercise.
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/hw/450hw.xhtml#coin-flipping
  (Comment: complete Tutorial #3 before doing this assignment.)
  Post your questions about and comments on this exercise

  in the *NetLogo Programming* thread.

- Continue implementing the Mushroom Hunt model of [railsback.grimm-2011-pup]_ ch. 2.
  Post your questions and difficulties in the *Mushroom Hunt* thread.
  (Please do *not* post your code yet. I'll ask everyone to post at a fixed time.
  Be prepared to do so!)

- Discuss your course project with the class.

  Please use the "Project Topics" thread.
  Remember, a one paragraph project description is due by the end of **today**.

  If you have not already decided on a topic for your course project
  (see the syllabus), please discuss possibilities on our discussion list.


Readings
--------

Today's required reading:

- Lecture Slides: NetLogo Programming

  (section: Language Basics)
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/notes/netlogo-intro.xhtml#language-basics
- Reread [railsback.grimm-2011-pup]_ ch. 2
- NetLogo Quick Guide
  http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/resources/NetLogo-4-0-QuickGuide.pdf

Graduate students should additionally read:

- nothing extra today

Today's recommended (i.e., entirely optional) reading and resources.

- [tisue.wilensky-2004a-iccs]_
  http://ccl.northwestern.edu/papers/netlogo-iccs2004.pdf

[Alan Isaac]

Week 2: Thursday
==================

**REMINDER:**
Your one-paragraph course project description was due *yesterday*!
(I have been expecting *much* more discussion!)

**Reminder:**
Timely and substantive participation in the discussions is
a graded activity.

Assignments
------------

- Do Part III of the Coin Flipping exercise.
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/hw/450hw.xhtml#coin-flipping

  Post your questions about and comments on this exercise
  in the *NetLogo Programming* thread.

  (At this point I would like every student to provide evidence of
  their efforts on this exercise, which is crucial background to the
  first collected programming assignment.)

- Finish implementing the Mushroom Hunt model of [railsback.grimm-2011-pup]_ ch. 2.
  Post your questions and difficulties to *Mushroom Hunt* thread.

  Please do *not* post your code yet.

  Please post your code early Tuesday morning (ideally, at 8:30am EST)
  (Note: please set your font to Courier New when posting code,
  or if posting online, use Google code formatting option.)

- Continue to discuss your course project with the class.
  Please use *Project Topics* thread.

  If you have not already decided on a topic for your course project
  (see the syllabus), please discuss possibilities on our discussion list.


Readings
--------

Reminder: discussions are based on the assigned readings.
The assigned readings are detailed on the syllabus.

Today's required reading:

- Lecture Slides: NetLogo Programming

  (section: Building NetLogo Models)
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/notes/netlogo-intro.xhtml#building-netlogo-models

- Unified Modeling Language
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/notes/uml.xhtml
  (**Note:** you should use UML diagrams in your project report and
  probably in your project-summary slides.
  For easy creation of UML diagrams, you may consider Dia:
  https://live.gnome.org/Dia .)

Graduate students should additionally read:

- http://software-carpentry.org/4_0/vc/ (lecture on Version Control)
  Post questions and discussion in the *Version Control* thread.

Today's recommended (i.e., entirely optional) reading and resources.

- [epstein-2008-jasss]_
  http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/11/4/12.html

[Alan Isaac]

Week 2: Friday
==================

**Note:**
Programming assignments **must** be submitted on time.
Allocate 20 hours (!) for the Gambler’s Ruin assignment
(*after* completing the Coin Flipping and Mushroom Hunt exercises).
Late programming assignments will not be accepted!
Plan on a HUGE effort for the Gambler’s Ruin assignment.

**REMINDER:**
Your one-paragraph course project description

was due last Wednesday!

**Note:**
There will be no posted readings or assignments on Monday.
Have a good holiday!


Assignments
------------

- Gambler’s Ruin (submitted assignment; LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!)
  Implement the **two-person** Gambler's Ruin as the first exercise here:
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/notes/gamblers_ruin.xhtml
  Do **not** post your code:
  this is the beginning of a collected assignment due next week.

  This is a challenging assignment; ask lots of questions!
  Allocate 20 hours to work on the full Gambler’s Ruin assignment!

  Bring your questions and difficulties to the discussion list.
  Use the *Gambler's Ruin* thread for discussions directly related
  to this assignment.  Use the *NetLogo Programming* thread for
  programming questions that arise while working on this assignment.
  Be sure to read the syllabus for guidelines for discussion of
  collected assignments.

- Finish implementing the Mushroom Hunt model of [railsback.grimm-2011-pup]_ ch. 2.

  Then add the following modifications:
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/hw/450hw.xhtml#mushroom-hunt
  Bring your questions and difficulties to the *Mushroom Hunt* thread on the discussion list.

  Please do *not* post your code yet.

  Please post your code early Tuesday morning (ideally, at 8:30am)

- Remember, a one paragraph project description was due **last Wednesday**.

  Continue to discuss your course project with the class.

  Please use the subject line "Course Project".

In addition, feel free to attempt the NetLogo Puzzlers at
https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/hw/450hw.xhtml#netlogo-puzzlers
Post your questions, discussions, or proposed answers to the
*NetLogo Programming* thread. You can also propose new puzzlers.

Readings
--------

Remember: timely and substantive participation in the discussions is
a graded activity.  Discussions are based on the assigned readings.
The assigned readings are detailed on the **syllabus**,

which is available via Blackboard.

Today's required reading:

- Lecture Slides: NetLogo Programming

  (section: Plotting: First Steps)
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/notes/netlogo-intro.xhtml#plotting-first-steps
- NetLogo Plotting documentation:
  http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/docs/programming.html#plotting
- NetLogo Plotting Example:
  ``File > Models Library > Code Examples > Plotting Example``
- Gini Coefficient
  https://subversion.american.edu/aisaac/notes/incdist.pdf
- [railsback.grimm-2011-pup]_ ch. 3.
  You need to use the ODD protocol discussed in this chapter
  when your submit your two-page project outline,
  which is due in two weeks.

Graduate students should additionally read:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair_programming (Pair programming.)

Today's recommended (i.e., entirely optional) reading and resources.

- [gilbert-2007-abm]_ ch. 2
  (not available online as far as I know)