Explore the World of Cellular Automata

Cellular automata are mathematical models that simulate complex systems through simple rules. They consist of a grid of cells, where each cell's state evolves based on its current state and the states of its neighboring cells.

These systems demonstrate how complex patterns and behaviors can emerge from simple rules, making them fascinating tools for studying phenomena in physics, biology, and computation.

Basic Principles

• Grid Structure: The simulation takes place on a 2D grid where each cell can be in one of several states.
• State Updates: In each generation, cells update their states based on their current state and their neighbors' states.
• Neighborhoods: Cells can use either Moore (8 neighbors) or von Neumann (4 neighbors) neighborhoods.
• Emergence: Complex patterns emerge from these simple rules, demonstrating how local interactions can create global behavior.

Implementation Details

• Performance: The simulation uses HTML5 Canvas for efficient rendering of large grids.
• Interactivity: Users can click cells to toggle their states, adjust simulation speed, and choose different rule sets.
• Wraparound: The grid can wrap around its edges, creating a toroidal surface for continuous patterns.

Cellular automata have numerous applications across different fields:

• Physics: Modeling particle diffusion, crystal growth, and fluid dynamics
• Biology: Simulating population growth, pattern formation, and neural networks
• Computer Science: Studying parallel computation, cryptography, and artificial life
• Art and Design: Generating patterns and textures for creative applications