Conclusions

Cellular automata may be used as mathematical models for physical, biological and computational systems. They are simple in construction, and thus potentially amenable to precise mathematical analysis, yet are capable of complicated behaviour. This article has outlined a first step in the analysis of the (non-equilibrium) statistical mechanics of cellular automata, and has described some generic features of their behaviour, such as the formation of particular self-similar patterns. Further investigations along these lines may reveal general universal features of irreversible and non-equilibrium statistical systems analogous to those found in equilibrium reversible systems.

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