Sample Code for 1d GOL

function theGolProgram()

    % the parameters

    number_of_cells = 80;

    number_of_gens = 100;

    % set up the structure to hold the results

    % and give it some initial values

    population = zeros(number_of_gens+1, number_of_cells);

    population(1,10)=1; population(1,40) = 1;

    % the middle - everything else goes here

    for curr_gen = 2:number_of_gens

        % do something this many times

        population = apply_rulebook(population, number_of_cells, curr_gen);

        update_screen(population);

    end 

end

function update_screen(population)

    % imagesc is the name of a Matlab function which creates a

    % picture from an array of numbers

    imagesc(population);

    drawnow;

end

function population = apply_rulebook(population, number_of_cells, curr_gen) 

    % rule number 1

    last_gen = curr_gen-1;

    for curr_cell = 1:number_of_cells;

        % for live cells only

        if population(last_gen, curr_cell)==1

            population(curr_gen, curr_cell)=0;

        end

    end

    % rule number 2

    for curr_cell = 1:number_of_cells;

        % rule 2 applies to dead cells only

        if population(last_gen, curr_cell)==0

            % handle special cases for first and last cell

            % to put population in a ring

            if curr_cell ==1

                leftn = population(last_gen, number_of_cells);

            else

                leftn = population(last_gen, curr_cell-1);

            end

            if curr_cell == number_of_cells

                rghtn = population(last_gen, 1);

            else

                rghtn = population(last_gen, curr_cell+1);

            end

            % only one neighbour?

            % then a cell is born

            if (rghtn + leftn) == 1

                population(curr_gen, curr_cell) = 1;

            end

        end

    end

end