Rule 110
Imagine you have a bunch of colored squares lined up in a row, like a train of blocks. Each square can be one of two colors, black or white. Now let's give these squares a simple rule to follow: look at the colors of the two squares next to you, and change your own color based on what you see.
Rule 110 is a specific set of instructions that tells each square which color to change into. It's a little bit tricky to understand at first, but we can break it down into smaller parts.
Here are the steps of Rule 110, explained in simpler terms:
1. Start with a row of blocks that can be either black or white. This is your "initial state."
2. Look at the three blocks in a row. Let's call these the "neighborhood" of the central block.
3. If the color of the left and center blocks match (both black or both white), then make the color of the center block white.
4. If the color of the center and right blocks match, make the center block black.
5. If the left and right blocks are different colors, make the center block white.
That's it - those are the rules of Rule 110! It may not sound like much, but when you apply this rule over and over again to a long row of blocks, something interesting happens.
As you keep applying Rule 110 to the row of blocks, it starts to create complex patterns and shapes. It almost looks like tiny creatures (or "cells") moving around and interacting with each other. Scientists and mathematicians have studied Rule 110 and other similar rules because they can help us better understand how simple rules can create complex and unpredictable behavior.
So while Rule 110 may seem like a simple rule for changing colors, it has big implications for our understanding of how the world works. And if you're ever bored at home with a bunch of colored blocks, you can try applying Rule 110 yourself and see what patterns you can create!
Rule 110 is a specific set of instructions that tells each square which color to change into. It's a little bit tricky to understand at first, but we can break it down into smaller parts.
Here are the steps of Rule 110, explained in simpler terms:
1. Start with a row of blocks that can be either black or white. This is your "initial state."
2. Look at the three blocks in a row. Let's call these the "neighborhood" of the central block.
3. If the color of the left and center blocks match (both black or both white), then make the color of the center block white.
4. If the color of the center and right blocks match, make the center block black.
5. If the left and right blocks are different colors, make the center block white.
That's it - those are the rules of Rule 110! It may not sound like much, but when you apply this rule over and over again to a long row of blocks, something interesting happens.
As you keep applying Rule 110 to the row of blocks, it starts to create complex patterns and shapes. It almost looks like tiny creatures (or "cells") moving around and interacting with each other. Scientists and mathematicians have studied Rule 110 and other similar rules because they can help us better understand how simple rules can create complex and unpredictable behavior.
So while Rule 110 may seem like a simple rule for changing colors, it has big implications for our understanding of how the world works. And if you're ever bored at home with a bunch of colored blocks, you can try applying Rule 110 yourself and see what patterns you can create!