Galton Board

About this model

This diagram represents a complex system of resource allocation and distribution through a multitude of gates and pools, simulating a network where resources are exchanged, processed, and managed across various nodes. At the beginning of the system, resources are generated by a source node and then funneled through a series of gates that operate based on dice rolls, indicating a probabilistic approach to resource distribution. The resources are directed towards multiple pools, which store the resources and are connected to each other as well as further gates, indicating various stages of processing or decision points within the system.

The extensive use of gates, especially those with dice-based distribution, suggests that the system simulates scenarios with elements of chance, making it suitable for game mechanics or systems where outcomes are not entirely predictable. The pools, varying in their initial resource allocation and capacities, represent different states or storage capacities within the system, possibly simulating different entities or variables that can hold or accumulate resources over time. Some pools start empty and others with preset values, indicating different initial conditions within the simulated scenario. The intricate network of resource connections between the gates and pools illustrates a complex flow of resources, where each node plays a role in the distribution, accumulation, or redirection of resources, reflecting the dynamics of a system governed by interconnected processes and probabilistic events.

This public Machinations diagram, “Galton Board”, was shared in the Machinations Community by David Zuzu.

You can open the original diagram in the Machinations app, press Play to watch how resources move through it, and change its values to see how the system responds. Machinations is a visual tool for designing, simulating and balancing game economies and other systems, where resources flow through sources, pools, drains, converters and gates. In a diagram, a source creates resources, a pool stores them, a drain removes them, a converter changes one resource into another and a gate decides where they go next.