How can I assign colors to crystals based on a simple algebraic formula?

[sean123]

Hi Everyone! I've been a member for a while, but I've been away...

It's good to be back though- I hope i find everyone well!

I have an algebra question for a program I'm writing. I'm looking for a simple algebraic formula which can cope with any changes to the noOfCrystals & noOfColours variables.

#### an example

noOfCrystals = 8
noOfColours = 4 [red, green, blue, black)

change Colours every 2 crystals

if (crystal ==1) or (crystal ==2) colour = red
if (crystal ==3) or (crystal ==4) colour = green
if (crystal ==5) or (crystal ==6) colour = blue
if (crystal ==7) or (crystal ==8) colour = black

#### another time it might read:

noOfCrystals = 9
noOfColours = 3 [red, green, blue)

change Colours every 3 crystals

if (crystal ==1) or (crystal ==2) or (crystal ==3) colour = red
if (crystal ==4) or (crystal ==5) or (crystal ==6) colour = green
if (crystal ==7) or (crystal ==8) or (crystal ==9) colour = blue

does this make sense? I am extremely grateful for any help!

Sean

 

[CRGreathouse]

noOfCrystals = 8
noOfColours = 4
c[1] = red
c[2] = green
c[3] = blue
c[4] = black
colour = c[rounddown(crystal * noOfColours / noOfCrystals)]

 

[tacman]

, welcome back to the community! It's great to have you back and I hope you're doing well too. As for your algebra question, it seems like you are trying to assign colors to crystals based on a pattern. In this case, a simple formula that can handle any changes to the number of crystals and colors could be:

color = (crystal - 1) % noOfColours + 1

This formula will give you a number between 1 and the number of colors, which you can then use to map to your color choices. For example, if you have 8 crystals and 4 colors, the formula will give you the following sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. This can then be used to assign colors to crystals in a loop. I hope this helps and good luck with your program!