Cellular Automata: A Discrete Universe [Paperback]

Andrew Ilachinski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001 | ISBN-10: 981238183X | ISBN-13: 978-9812381835 | Edition: Reprint

Cellular automata are a class of spatially and temporally discrete mathematical systems characterized by local interaction and synchronous dynamical evolution. Introduced by the mathematician John von Neumann in the 1950s as simple models of biological self-reproduction, they are prototypical models for complex systems and processes consisting of a large number of simple, homogeneous, locally interacting components. Cellular automata have been the focus of great attention over the years because of their ability to generate a rich spectrum of very complex patterns of behavior out of sets of relatively simple underlying rules. Moreover, they appear to capture many essential features of complex self-organizing cooperative behavior observed in real systems. This book provides a summary of the basic properties of cellular automata, and explores in depth many important cellular-automata-related research areas, including artificial life, chaos, emergence, fractals, nonlinear dynamics, and self-organization. It also presents a broad review of the speculative proposition that cellular automata may eventually prove to be theoretical harbingers of a fundamentally new information-based, discrete physics. Designed to be accessible at the junior/senior undergraduate level and above, the book will be of interest to all students, researchers, and professionals wanting to learn about order, chaos, and the emergence of complexity. It contains an extensive bibliography and provides a listing of cellular automata resources available on the World Wide Web.

Editorial Reviews

Review

CA enthusiasts will want copies on their shelves. -- Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society, 2003

Every once in a while a book comes along that elegantly represents an entire field... such a definitive text. -- Professor Halpern

Recommended to any person interested in the fascinating world of cellular automata. -- Zentralblatt MATH

This is both an exceptionally beautiful and a timely book about this fascinating topic. -- Mathematical Reviews --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 808 pages
• Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company; Reprint edition (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 981238183X
• ISBN-13: 978-9812381835
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,418,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am, by training and profession, a physicist, specializing in the modeling of complex adaptive systems (with a Ph.D. in theoretical physics). However, both by temperament and inner muse, I am a photographer, and have been one for far longer than my Ph.D. gives me any right to claim an ownership by physics. Photography became a life-long pursuit for me the instant my parents gave me a Polaroid instamatic camera for my 10th birthday (35 years ago). I have been studying the mysterious relationship between inner experiences and outer realities ever since.

My creative process is very simple. I take pictures of what calms my soul. There may be other, more descriptive or poetic words that may be used to define the 'pattern' that connects my images, but the simplest meta-pattern is this: I take snapshots of moments in time and space in which a peace washes gently over me, and during which I sense a deep interconnectedness between my soul and the world. Not Cartier-Bresson's 'Decisive Moment,' but rather a "Sudden Stillness."

My favorite quote: "That which you are seeking is doing the seeking." (St. Francis of Assissi)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, September 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Cellular Automata: A Discrete Universe (Hardcover)

This book is clearly a labor of love and contains a great wealth of material. However, it sorely lacks focus, the presentation is unclear and the results are often out of date. Here is a selection of more particular criticisms. Many rules remain undefined and the reader has to guess their details. The writer seems to be unfamiliar with the last five years worth of research, so particularly the chapter on probabilistic CA is not worth much. Far too many parts of the book are outlines of original papers (or books) with details omitted. Many claims in the said papers are accepted without scrutiny. (Two examples: (1) There is absolutely no evidence that any cellular automaton studied by Packard and Wolfram has a shape that is close to circular. (2) It has been discovered as far back as 1989 that the famous FHP lattice gas does NOT approach the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation, due to the fact that viscosity increases to infinity with increasing size of a finite system.) World Scientific editors need to do a much better job.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written, comprehensive introduction to the field, August 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Cellular Automata: A Discrete Universe (Hardcover)

Cellular Automata: A Discrete Universe is a fascinating overview of the wide variety of discrete systems researchers have developed in the past quarter-century, and how these might be used to model a range of natural phenomena, including (in the book's most speculative section) the universe itself. Illustrations are supplied in all the right places--serving to enlighten, rather than overwhelm, the reader. The list of references is superb, making the book not only a great introduction and an important reference, but also a valuable guide to the field of complexity.