4 ms·

Indeed! I rather like the idea that solitons are something like the simplest self-propagating 'things' in any medium/computation-reigeme, so gliders in Game-of-

Indeed! I rather like the idea that solitons are something like the simplest self-propagating 'things' in any medium/computation-reigeme, so gliders in Game-of-Life might qualify and in more complex/subtle systems they can have more complex behaviours as well (like bacteria, or flies? Hehe) Here's a fun example I made in gollygang/Ready (and Houdini) of PDE solitons that spin around with rippling wakes: https://youtu.be/edNG2EJWQwQ?si=8b3YsHCDIaj0C7Pa https://youtu.be/edNG2EJWQwQ?si=8b3YsHCDIaj0C7Pa

pcthrowaway 1y ago
Would sound waves then count as solitons?
- danwills 1y ago
  I believe so, although the way I usually think about Solitons is like a single packet.. so just one cycle of a wave. Continuous sound could probably be thought of as a continuous stream of solitons (I think ppl call them phonons when it's sound though). I haven't studied PDEs nor solitons in a formal way I just love playing with them. Gray Scott with History and Wave (a formula I contributed to Gollygang/Ready) supports many fascinating soliton behaviours. Here's 25mins of one of the strangest parameter settings I've found: https://youtu.be/Naj_J8aznyk?si=Da3A3iTz8rN9qrgq https://youtu.be/Naj_J8aznyk?si=Da3A3iTz8rN9qrgq
- IAmBroom 1y ago
  Only if they retain their original shape. The point is not that any wave is a soliton, but a soliton never changes shape as it moves (through time, a medium, or whatever). The soliton can decrease in amplitude, and expand in width, but otherwise remains the same. A pure, single Gaussian hump is the soliton for homogenous linear media. If you create an audible with the spectral shape of a Gaussian (and therefore also the time shape), it might get quieter as it moves across the room, and longer, but will still "sound" the same.
ryanartecona 1y ago
Wow! I'd never heard of gollygang/ready before, but it looks extremely cool. Thanks for sharing.
- danwills 1y ago
  No probs, I've had a great deal of fun playing with it indeed! Hope you do too!

pcthrowaway 1y ago

Would sound waves then count as solitons?

danwills 1y ago
I believe so, although the way I usually think about Solitons is like a single packet.. so just one cycle of a wave. Continuous sound could probably be thought of as a continuous stream of solitons (I think ppl call them phonons when it's sound though). I haven't studied PDEs nor solitons in a formal way I just love playing with them. Gray Scott with History and Wave (a formula I contributed to Gollygang/Ready) supports many fascinating soliton behaviours. Here's 25mins of one of the strangest parameter settings I've found: https://youtu.be/Naj_J8aznyk?si=Da3A3iTz8rN9qrgq https://youtu.be/Naj_J8aznyk?si=Da3A3iTz8rN9qrgq
IAmBroom 1y ago
Only if they retain their original shape. The point is not that any wave is a soliton, but a soliton never changes shape as it moves (through time, a medium, or whatever). The soliton can decrease in amplitude, and expand in width, but otherwise remains the same. A pure, single Gaussian hump is the soliton for homogenous linear media. If you create an audible with the spectral shape of a Gaussian (and therefore also the time shape), it might get quieter as it moves across the room, and longer, but will still "sound" the same.

ryanartecona 1y ago

Wow! I'd never heard of gollygang/ready before, but it looks extremely cool. Thanks for sharing.

danwills 1y ago
No probs, I've had a great deal of fun playing with it indeed! Hope you do too!