has characteristic spatial description progression with fixed time step cellular automata update method 2011-04-07 http://identifiers.org/doi/10.1103/RevModPhys.55.601 AZ CA Cellular automata are mathematical idealizations of physical systems in which space and time are discrete, and physical quantities take on a finite set of discrete values. A cellular automaton consists of a regular uniform lattice (or ''array''), usually infinite in extent, with a discrete variable at each site (''cell''). A cellular automaton evolves in discrete time steps, with the value of the variable at one site being affected by the values of variables at sites in its ''neighbourhood'' on the previous time step. The neighbourhood of a site is typically taken to be the site itself and all immediately adjacent sites. The variables at each site are updated simultaneously (''synchronously''), based on the values of the variables in their neighbourhood at the preceding time step, and according to a definite set of ''local rules''. cellular automata cellular spaces cellular structures homogeneous structures iterative arrays tessellation automata tessellation structures rule-based simulation method