Abstract

It appears that the basic laws of physics relevant to everyday phenomena are now known. Yet there are many everyday natural systems whose complex structure and behavior have so far defied even qualitative analysis. For example, the laws that govern the freezing of water and the conduction of heat have long been known, but analyzing their consequences for the intricate patterns of snowflake growth has not yet been possible. While many complex systems may be broken down into identical components, each obeying simple laws, the huge number of components that make up the whole system act together to yield very complex behavior. In some cases this complex behavior may be simulated numerically with just a few components. But in most cases the simulation requires too many components, and this direct approach fails. One must instead attempt to distill the mathematical essence of the process by which complex behavior is generated. The hope in such an approach is to identify fundamental mathematical mechanisms that are common to many different natural systems. Such commonality would correspond to universal features in the behavior of very different complex natural systems. To discover and analyze the mathematical basis for the generation of complexity, one must identify simple mathematical systems that capture the essence of the process. Cellular automata are a candidate class of such systems. This article surveys their, nature and properties, concentrating on funda-mental mathematical features. Cellular automata prorrlise to provide mathematical models for a wide variety of complex phenomema, from turbulence in fluids to patterns in biological growth. The general features of their behavior discussed here should form a basis for future detailed studies of such specific systems.

Wolfram, S. Los Alamos Science 9 (1983): 2 - 21.

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Presentation [CAPPTX.pptx]