Salt-models

karl robold

unread,

Mar 11, 2004, 9:03:33 PM3/11/04

to

what exactly are Salt-models ? can somebody give me some references ? They
seem to be certain cellular automata, which I know from Stephen Wolfram's
book..
Are these cellular automata in principle realizable with the
Mathematica-Framework. How much work have I to invest to see a a running
Salt-model on the Mac of my son? Is Java-Framework also sufficient for
simulation ?

Thanks

daniel B miller

unread,

Mar 12, 2004, 2:17:43 AM3/12/04

to

karl robold wrote:

I don't know where you got that Wolfram had anything to do with Salt.
It's an invention of Ed Fredkin's, first discussed in "Introduction to
Digital Philosophy" [see ref. below]; an earlier version is available
online at www.digitalphilosophy.org. The term "Salt" is first mentioned
in chapter 20 (online version).

It's a multi-phase, 3D, reversible CA, partitioned into two FCC arrays
(ie the red and black cubes in a 3D checkerboard). It has some very
interesting properties.

reference:

E. Fredkin, "An Introduction to Digital Philosophy", p. 189-247,
_International Journal of Theoretical Physics_, Volume 42, Number 2 (2003)

Mark A. Biggar

unread,

Mar 12, 2004, 10:44:45 AM3/12/04

to

karl robold wrote:

Think about the way a salt crystal is put together. It's 3D checker
board pattern of alternating sodium and chlorine atoms. Now imagine
that the atoms are automata. They alternate changing state: first the
sodium atoms all change state based on the states of the surrounding
chlorine atoms, then all the chlorine atoms change state based on the
surrounding sodium atoms.

--
ma...@biggar.org
mark.a...@comcast.net

charliew2

unread,

Mar 16, 2004, 11:43:31 AM3/16/04

to

Does anyone have a link to a pre-programmed applet? It would be interesting
to immediately see the properties of this thing.

Mark A. Biggar <ma...@floorboard.com> wrote in message
news:UVc4c.11735$ft4.94609@attbi_s54...

Tim Tyler

unread,

Mar 16, 2004, 1:49:57 PM3/16/04

to

charliew2 <char...@ev1.net> wrote or quoted:

> Does anyone have a link to a pre-programmed applet?
> It would be interesting to immediately see the
> properties of this thing.

I programmed the rules and made an applet back
around the time Ed's web site was launched.

The results are on:

http://finitenature.com/fredkin_ca/
--
__________
|im |yler http://timtyler.org/ t...@tt1lock.org Remove lock to reply.

charliew2

unread,

Mar 16, 2004, 4:20:53 PM3/16/04

to

Thanks. I'll take a look.

Tim Tyler <t...@tt1lock.org> wrote in message news:HuoMy...@bath.ac.uk...

karl robold

unread,

Mar 16, 2004, 7:01:43 PM3/16/04

to

I looked at the applet, it reminds me in some sense of a 3d version of a
'Game of Life', I programmed some time ago in assembler (to see really fast
graphics!) on my Commodore VC20, the world of GoLife was a 50x50 matrix. I
dont know exactly, if the neighbourhood is called today
vonNeumann-neighbourhood, whose state defines the new state of the central
cell in the next generation, but also in this small world, Life was
fascinating. I assume 'Salt' is also driven by comparable rules. My first
visual impression of the Java-applet is, that there is some stationarity in
space and timelike cyclic evolution. Could that picture termed a 'finite
state machine' ?

"Tim Tyler" <t...@tt1lock.org> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:HuoMy...@bath.ac.uk...