Notes

Chapter 6: Starting from Randomness

Section 2: Four Classes of Behavior


[Classes in] continuous cellular automata

In ordinary cellular automata, going from one rule to the next in a sequence involves some discrete change. But in continuous cellular automata, the parameters of the rule can be varied smoothly. Nevertheless, it still turns out that there are discrete transitions in the overall behavior that is produced. In fact, there is often a complicated set of transitions that depends more on the digit sequence of the parameter than its size. And between these transitions there are usually ranges of parameter values that yield definite class 4 behavior. (Compare page 922.)

From Stephen Wolfram: A New Kind of Science [citation]