cellular automaton
<algorithm, parallel> (CA, plural "- automata") A regular spatial lattice
of "cells", each of which can have any one of a finite number of states. The
state of all cells in the lattice are updated simultaneously and the state of
the entire lattice advances in discrete time steps. The state of each cell in
the lattice is updated according to a local rule which may depend on the state
of the cell and its neighbors at the previous time step.
Each cell in a cellular automaton could be considered to be a finite state
machine which takes its neighbours' states as input and outputs its own state.
The best known example is J.H. Conway's game of Life.
FAQ.
Usenet newsgroups: comp.theory.cell-automata, comp.theory.self-org-sys.
(1995-03-03)
Nearby terms:
CEll Space Simulation Language « Cellular « cellular
automata « cellular automaton » Cellular
Digital Packet Data » cellular multiprocessing »
Cellular Neural Network
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