A cellular automata is a discrete mathematical model whereby a **grid** of cells is envisaged, where the next **state** of each cell is determined by a **set of rules** which use the current state of the cell and its **neighbors** as input. Each of the bolded words above can be …

The so-called 'Game of Life' (or simply 'Life' as it is known by aficionados) is not the popular board game from the 1980's, but rather a simple set of rules that gives rise to a lot of curious and fascinating behaviour. ↑ Not this one, this one! ↓ The Game of Life is 'played' …

Common terms used within Conway's Game of Life. - **Ash** : The debris left behind by a random **pattern** . Commonly composed of still life and simple oscillators. - **Breeder** : any **pattern** that exhibits unbounded quadratic growth. The first and most famous example is Gosp…

A 'gun' (in the world of Cellular Automata) is a stationary pattern that emits moving patterns (i.e. spaceships). Note that a gun is a pattern which grows without limit. The first gun to be discovered was the Gosper Glider Gun. It is also the simplest known gun in Conway's Game…

Oscillators are patterns that rotate through a repeating set of states. The number of states in the rotation is the periodicity. Blinker (period 2) 00000 00000 01110 00000 00000 Toad (Period 2) 000000 000000 001110 011100 000000 000000 Beacon (Period 2) 000000 011000 010000…

Some patterns in Conway's Game of Life appear to travel across the board, by performing oscillations that recreate the same shape, displaced in some direction. The three listed below all have a periodicity of 4. Glider The most famous, the first discovered, and by far the most…

Here are two famous **Methuselahs** : simple patterns that are long lived and grow quite large: Acorn and R-Pentomino. Acorn 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000…

A "still life" (in Conway's Game of Life) is any pattern that does not change from one generation to the next. Here are depictions of some of the most common types of still life. (The 'Play' button below will not achieve anything in these cases.) Block (or buoy) 0000 0110 011…