Cellular Automaton Simulator

Controls:

• Click or tap the D20 on the bottom-right to open the controls panel
• Use the drop down to select a preset rule set
• Use the check-boxes to make your own rules and see what happens!
• Click or Tap ⏸️🎵 / ▶️🎵 to play or pause the music

What is a Cellular Automaton?

Cellular automata are simple rule-based systems where:

• You have a grid of cells
• Each cell has a state (on/off, 0/1, etc.)
• Time moves in step

At each step, every cell updates its state based on:

• Its current state
• The state of its neighboring cells
• A small set of rules

Even though the rules are simple, the results can be wildly complex and beautiful.

Why are cellular automata important?

• Simple rules, complex behavior: Cellular automata show how very simple local rules can generate highly complex global patterns. This idea is central in complexity science and helps us understand how intricate structures can emerge in nature.
• Models of natural systems: They are used as abstract models of physical, biological, and social systems, such as fluid flow, crystal growth, forest fires, traffic, and population dynamics.
• Computation and universality: Some cellular automata can perform any computation that a computer can, showing that computation can emerge from simple, local interactions.
• Randomness and cryptography: Certain rules generate patterns that look random and are studied for uses in random number generation and cryptographic systems.