Chemical Types
The Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction is a spatio-temporal chemical oscillator which can be simulated by means of a cellular automaton. In the 1950s A. M. Zhabotinsky (extending the work of B. P. Belousov) discovered that when a thin, homogenous layer of a mixture of malonic acid, acidified bromate, and a ceric salt were mixed together and left undisturbed, fascinating geometric patterns such as concentric circles and spirals propagate across the medium. In the "Computer Recreations" section of the August 1988 issue of Scientific American, A. K. Dewdney discussed a cellular automaton which was developed by Martin Gerhardt and Heike Schuster of the University of Bielefeld (West Germany). This automaton produces wave patterns resembling those in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction.
Read more about this topic: Cellular Automata In Popular Culture
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