Complex Behavior in Long-Distance Cellular Automata
Lucas Kang
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to systematically explore the behavior of one-dimensional long-distance cellular automata (LDCAs). Basic characteristics of LDCAs are explored, such as universal behavior, the prevalence of complexity with varying neighborhoods, and qualitative behavior as a function of configuration. It was found that rule 73 could potentially be Turing universal through the emulation of a cyclic tag system, and that a connection between the mathematics of binary trees and Eulerian numbers might provide insight into unsolved problems.
