Question 1

What rule does Game of Life run?

Accepted Answer

The standard Conway rule, written B3/S23. A dead cell with exactly three live neighbours is born; a live cell with two or three live neighbours survives; every other cell dies or stays dead. All cells update simultaneously each generation, on a bounded grid where cells off the edge count as dead.

Question 2

What are the starter patterns?

Accepted Answer

A curated set of the classics: the Block (a still life that never changes), the Blinker, Toad, and Beacon (oscillators that repeat forever), and the Glider (a spaceship that travels diagonally). There is also an empty board and a random soup so you can draw or experiment with your own cells.

Question 3

How do I change the grid?

Accepted Answer

Tap or click any cell to toggle it alive or dead. Then press Play to run the simulation, Step to advance one generation, Reset to restore the current pattern, and drag the speed control to change how fast generations play, up to a bounded maximum.

Question 4

Does it keep running when I leave the tab?

Accepted Answer

No. The simulation pauses when the tab is hidden or backgrounded, so it never burns battery in the background. When you return, it stays exactly where you paused it · the generation count and population are preserved.

Question 5

Does it respect reduced motion?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If your device requests reduced motion, the board does not auto-animate. Everything still works · you step through generations by hand with the Step button or the Right arrow key, and the current state is always visible without any animation.