cellular automata

Cellular Automata Machines: A New Environment for Modeling (Scientific Computation)
$70.00
Of all of the books that delve into the details of cellular automata, the algorithms, and the kinds of problems you can solve with them, this is probably the best I've found. However, there are two major problems you will have to work around. First, there is the specialized and long defunct CAM computing environment. You simply have to not read the portions of the book that talk about it to get around this, and I found this a minor problem. A more major problem is that this old 1987 book is using Forth as a programming language for the algorithms. Outside of the boot proms on Sun computers and vintage early 80's home-brew computing magazines, I haven't seen this language used. However, C had not yet come to the forefront in 1987, so it's a forgivable, if annoying problem to have to learn enough about the language to truly "get" what the algorithms are doing. All in all, reading this book is like attending a fascinating and close sporting event with two guys - CAM and Forth - continually walking in front of you carrying a long pane of glass between them. The payoff is worthwhile, you just have to put up with something that the authors thought was a plus when they wrote the book that has now become an annoyance.

If you're brand new to cellular automata, I recommend "A New Kind of Science" by Wolfram. Although that book seems to have disappointed many of its readers, I think it does a good job of discussing cellular automata at a high level and discussing the kinds of problems that can be solved using it. Then come back to this book for details and algorithms.

Cellular Automata: A Discrete Universe
$109.00
Cellular Automata: A Discrete Universe is a fascinating overview of the wide variety of discrete systems researchers have developed in the past quarter-century, and how these might be used to model a range of natural phenomena, including (in the book's most speculative section) the universe itself. Illustrations are supplied in all the right places--serving to enlighten, rather than overwhelm, the reader. The list of references is superb, making the book not only a great introduction and an important reference, but also a valuable guide to the field of complexity.

Cellular Automata: A Discrete View of the World (Wiley Series in Discrete Mathematics & Optimization)
$118.50
The field of cellular automata (CA) is one that appears to be finite, yet unlimited, although it is a point of major debate. Where the ultimate conclusion lands depends on the fundamental origin of complexity, in particular that of intelligence. Some very sound thinkers argue that the universe itself is a complex CA, all of the phenomena we see are fundamentally explainable by a set of simple rules whereby actions are a consequence of state changes based on those rules. The apparent complexity that we perceive is due to the enormous number of objects that are involved and the number of different interactions that take place between them.
Cellular automata became an area of mainstream study when the Game of Life was developed. The fascinating feature of the game is that a small set of such simple rules can lead to what appear to be complex individual and collective behaviors. Schiff begins with the definitions of basic cellular automata, steps through the appearance of complexity and closes with some of the major arguments in favor of the literally universal applicability of CA.
The level of mathematics is fairly low; the most complex areas are the recurrence equations that define the next state and a few partial derivatives. With some additional explanation, the material is within the grasp of the second year math major. Most of the more complex mathematics can be skipped and the reader will still be able to understand and appreciate what CA are and some of the ways they can be used to model complex activities. This is the text I would use if I were to ever teach a special topics class in CA.

Nonlinear Workbook: Chaos, Fractals, Cellular Automata, Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms, Gene Expression
$61.00
Overall, this is a good book on the various subjects it covers, but I have to wonder - why would you buy this expensive hardcover version when the paperback version costs a little more than half what this hardcover costs? The contents are the same, the publication date is the same, and having had my softcover copy for two years and made heavy use of it, it seems to be standing up to the wear and tear just fine.

This book is an overview of all of the components of nonlinear dynamics. Nonlinear dynamics is a field of study that enables well-constructed predictive modeling of systems that might be difficult to solve otherwise. Such continuous systems were first widely modeled by ordinary and differential equations, but with the passage of time there are now tools and mathematical models at our disposal that make for a much more concise model of many systems. This workbook tries to touch on all of those mathematical tools.

The first six chapters of the book has to do with modeling such complex systems in general, and the rest of the book is a survey of the tools needed to perform complex modeling. The book's format is that of briefly explaining a concept in a few pages, and then presenting a computer program that demonstrates the concept just explained. The explanations are very clear and concise, there are plenty of equations shown, and the accompanying code is well commented. If you want to really drill deeply into any of the concepts then you are going to need some other books. I suggest that for further reading for the mathematically inclined that you pick up "Chaos: An Introduction to Dynamical Systems" by Kathleen Alligood. For scientists that want to see specific problems that can be solved by dynamical systems I suggest the excellent "Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos: With Applications in Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering" by Strogatz. The only real complaint I have against this book is that there is uneven coverage of different tools. For example, the author has a great deal to say about neural networks and fuzzy logic, but has very short chapters covering discrete wavelets and cellular automata. More material would have been great, since it is hard to find good books on discrete wavelets and cellular automata in particular. Some readers may also be annoyed that much of the book are code listings of the various demonstration programs.

Overall, I would highly recommend this as one of several books that anyone interested in dynamical systems should definitely own. In particular, those individuals interested in the techniques of algorithmic composition of music might find this book a good jumping off point for studying the tools and techniques that make such compositions possible.