Network automaton
This article relies on a single source. (August 2026) |
A network automaton (plural network automata) is a mathematical system consisting of a network of nodes that evolves over time according to predetermined rules.[1] It is similar in concept to a cellular automaton, but much less studied.
Stephen Wolfram's book A New Kind of Science, which is primarily concerned with cellular automata, briefly discusses network automata, and suggests (without positive evidence) that the universe might at the very lowest level be a network automaton.
References
[edit]- ↑ Smith, David M. D.; Onnela, Jukka-Pekka; Lee, Chiu Fan; Fricker, Mark D.; Johnson, Neil F. (June 2011). "Network automata: coupling structure and function in dynamic networks". Advances in Complex Systems. 14 (03): 317–339. arXiv:physics/0701307. doi:10.1142/S0219525911003050. ISSN 0219-5259.