artificial life

Chapter 3: Cellular Automata

3.9 Conclusion

Cellular Automata display incredibly complex behavior based entirely upon relatively simple rules. Using only two rules Conway’s Game of Life demonstrates enough complexity to be classified as a universal machine. Some of Wolfram’s One-Dimensional Automata can also be shown to be universal machines, while others imitate patterns found in nature. Finally, Reynolds’s Boids give a clear graphical example of cellular automata modeling life.