Two kinds of attractors
The CA is controlled by the following buttons:
Shorter: Makes CA shorter.
Longer: Makes CA longer.
Plant CA: CA is planted.
The obstacle is controlled by the following buttons:
Upward: Moves obstacle upward. Its y-coordinate is displayed
as ycoord =.
Downward: Moves obstacle downward. Its y-coordinate is displayed
as ycoord =.
Resources= the amount of resources the CA has.
ycoord= The y-coordinate of the obstacle
When the experiment starts, a zygote is planted at
the bottom line. The CA starts moving upward and its resources decline.
It approaches the obstacle which acts as a “filling station” since
it supplies the CA with resources. The CA oscillates around the obstacle
and does not to cling to it. It continues upward before replenishing
all its resources. Only on its way back it clings to the obstacle until
its resources were replenished. From then and on , whenever the CA meets
the obstacle it clings to it until its resources are replenished.
Now click on ‘longer’ and observe the CA and its history. Following
this experiment you may change ycoord, then plant a CA and watch what
happens
Please observe the following:
1. Maturation: After the zygote is planted the
CA matures and elongates while moving upward. When mature it oscillates
around its center of mass and repeats its oscillation after a certain
period.
2. Memory: The CA remembers where it was heading before meeting
the obstacles and continues in the same direction after leaving it.
3. The obstacle is a zygote which is formed and killed at every
time step. When interacting with the CA it is incorporated into it.
4. Structural attractor: When moving, the CA oscillates around
its center of mass, and repeats its oscillation after a certain period.
In order to see its structure click on ‘Longer’ which displays
the CA history.
5. Perturbation: Interaction with the obstacle initiates a perturbation
during which the CA acquires a new structure. It is perturbed also
when leaving the obstacle whereupon it regains its original structure.
6. We may distinguish between two attractor types:
6.1 Structural attractor manifested by repeating CA oscillations.
6.2 Positional attractor when the CA interacts with the obstacle
and stops moving.
7. Structural attractor is called also CA solution. It
is closely related to the notion of a steady state, or equilibrium.
As the CA moves it maintains a solution, and when perturbed it creates
a new one, like when meeting the obstacle, otherwise it may die.
Now regard the system as a whole. It too occupies an attractor which is traced by the black line and CA structure. In other words the system state is defined by two coordinates {CA structure, CA position}