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August 13

How to start making cellular automata

What's the way to get into cellular automata? What's a good book to read with interesting "case studies?" I'm interested in things like varied fields with rules diversified within that create conditions for filtering and longevity of items. Neural automata within classical fields. User manipulation to make attractor conditions or simple destruction of items. Fun stuff like that. A glossary of terms would be a help too. Thank you. Gongula Spring (talk) 19:00, 13 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Are you talking about Cellular automaton? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:58, 13 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

We can give you better direction if you tell us a little about where you're starting from. Do you know any programming already, and if so, what languages?

On balance, Netlogo is a good system for cellular automata and other similar types of simulation and modeling. See eg [here](https://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/CA1DElementary) SemanticMantis (talk) 00:13, 14 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I can't say I haven't tried programming before, but I can confidently deny any proficiency. Gongula Spring (talk) 00:47, 14 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Rather a deep dive, Wolfram's A New Kind of Science can be read for free as an e-book. Linear (one-dimensional) cellular automata, which include the Turing machines, are introduced on page 24, while two-dimensional cellular automata make their first appearance on page 170. ‑‑Lambiam 02:07, 14 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Our article on Conway's Game of Life gives a good overview of one of the first such programs. I remember coding that up in machine code on a ZX81, which was how I first became interested in computing. Mike Turnbull (talk) 19:11, 15 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! And wow, Wolfram writes interesting, doesn't he? I can stand the arrogance, but not the repetition. I found this recent paper on longevity: https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12306

Gongula Spring (talk) 19:20, 15 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]