What to try
- Start with Rule 90 and toggle the output under neighborhood 000.
- Compare a single live cell with a seeded row and change the boundary wrapping.
What to look for: Eight output bits form the rule number. Each image row is the next generation; changing one bit changes the transition wherever that neighborhood occurs.
How it works
Three binary inputs have eight possible neighborhood patterns. A rule supplies one output bit for each pattern, so eight bits identify one of 256 rules. Rule 30 and Rule 90 are familiar examples with very different triangular and irregular structures.
A single live starting cell and a random starting row probe different behavior. Wrapping connects the row’s ends; without it, boundary decisions use a different neighborhood. Cell size changes how many logical cells fit in the raster.
Use it in the Lab
Use Elementary automata in Input to generate a structured source. A subsequent gradient map or morphology operation can turn the binary history into different kinds of marks.
Limits & distinctions
The rule number describes one particular neighborhood convention. Comparing implementations requires matching the initial row, boundaries, cell count and rule-bit ordering.
Sources & references
Guide updated