Cellular Automaton

A Cellular Automaton is basically a matrix of cells which can be set either "On" or "off" depending upon the condition of neighboring cells.

The most famous cellular automaton is the "Game Of Life" invented by mathematician John Conway. Despite the simplicity of the rules governing the changes of state as the automaton moves from one generation to the next, the evolution of such a system is complex indeed.

A great collection of animated simualtions is available at the Live Artificial Life Page.