Abstract
Modelling all three spatial dimensions is often much more computationally expensive than modelling a two-dimensional simplification of the same system. Researchers comparing these approaches in individual-based models of microbial biofilms report quantitative, but not qualitative, differences between 2D and 3D simulations. We show that a large part of the discrepancy is due to the different space packing densities of circles versus spheres, and demonstrate methods to compensate for this: the internal density of individuals or the distances between them can be scaled. This result is likely to be useful in similar models, such as smoothed particle hydrodynamics.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 26-30 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Theoretical Biology |
Volume | 423 |
Early online date | 17 Apr 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Jun 2017 |
Keywords
- Individual-based model
- Agent-based model
- Spatial structure
- Biofilm
- Heuristics