Langton's Ant - Rules

Rules

Squares on a plane are colored variously either black or white. We arbitrarily identify one square as the "ant". The ant can travel in any of the four cardinal directions at each step it takes. The ant moves according to the rules below:

  • At a white square, turn 90° right, flip the color of the square, move forward one unit
  • At a black square, turn 90° left, flip the color of the square, move forward one unit

Langton's ant can also be described as a cellular automaton, where the grid is colored black or white, the "ant" square has one of eight different colors assigned to encode the combination of black/white state and the current direction of motion of the ant.

Read more about this topic:  Langton's Ant

Famous quotes containing the word rules:

    The new grammar of race is constructed in a way that George Orwell would have appreciated, because its rules make some ideas impossible to express—unless, of course, one wants to be called a racist.
    Stephen Carter (b. 1954)

    However diligent she may be, however dedicated, no mother can escape the larger influences of culture, biology, fate . . . until we can actually live in a society where mothers and children genuinely matter, ours is an essentially powerless responsibility. Mothers carry out most of the work orders, but most of the rules governing our lives are shaped by outside influences.
    Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)

    Carnal lust rules where there is no love of God.
    St. Augustine (354–430)