Wireworld

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Wireworld is a well-known cellular automaton first proposed by Brian Silverman in 1987, as part of his program Phantom Fish Tank. It subsequently became more widely known as a result of an article in the "Computer Recreations" column of Scientific American. Wireworld is particularly suited to simulating electronic logic elements, or "gates", and, despite the simplicity of the rules, it is possible to build a complete computer within Wireworld.

[edit] Rules

A Wireworld cell can be in one of four different states:

1. Empty
2. Conductor
3. Electron head
4. Electron tail

Time proceeds in discrete steps called generations. An empty cell will always remain empty; other cells behave as follows:

• Electron head → electron tail
• Electron tail → conductor
• Conductor → electron head if exactly one or two of the neighbouring cells are electron heads

Using just these simple rules we can begin to construct gates.

[edit] Computer programs featuring Wireworld

• Wireworlds: the classical Wireworld cellular automaton and many variations. Game contains about 100 examples of logical gates etc created in Wireworld.
• A Wireworld Computer: an account of the construction of a full-scale computer using wireworld.
• MCell: A free program for running cellular automata, can run Wireworlds.