The Use of Cellular Automata in the Classroom

Abstract

The paper explains what a cellular automaton is and why schools would want to integrate the study of cellular automata into their curricula. Examples are given and suggestions for sample exercises follow. Each example is given a title, a discipline to which it relates, a source from which the example or the motivation for the example was taken, and a recommended grade level--middle school or high school. Source code in Microsoft's FORTRAN PowerStation, Version 1.0 is available for all of the examples. Each of the programs show a visualization of a particular cellular automaton over time. A cellular automaton is a modeling tool that can be used in the classroom with either pencil and paper or on computers. Cellular automata can be important in motivating students, reaching students with certain learning styles, helping students develop modeling skills, and in the development of curricula for teaching certain computer technologies.