Conway's Game of Life
The Game of Life, also known simply as Life, is a cellular automaton devised by British mathematician
John Horton Conway in 1970. It is a zero-player game, meaning its evolution is determined by its initial state, requiring no further input.
How It Works
The game is played on a grid of square cells, each of which is in one of two possible states, live or dead.
Every cell interacts with its eight neighbors, which are the cells adjacent to it horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
At each step in time, the following transitions occur:
- A live cell with fewer than two live neighbors dies (underpopulation).
- A live cell with two or three live neighbors lives on to the next generation.
- A live cell with more than three live neighbors dies (overpopulation).
- A dead cell with exactly three live neighbors becomes a live cell (reproduction).
Notable Figures
- John Horton Conway: Creator of the Game of Life and a brilliant mathematician known for his work in group theory, knot theory, number theory, and more. His playful approach to mathematics earned him a wide following.
- Stephen Wolfram: A key figure in cellular automaton research, Wolfram extended the concept of cellular automata in his book A New Kind of Science, connecting it to broader theories of computation and physics.
- Bill Gosper: A significant contributor to the Game of Life, Gosper discovered several important patterns in the game, including the first-known infinite growth pattern, known as "Gosper's Glider Gun."
Resources and Further Reading
Example Life Forms
Blinker
Block
Glider
Toad
Beacon
Pulsar
Loaf