Visual Math
Cellular Automata
Play with classic cellular systems, paint directly into the grid, and watch simple local rules produce motion, symmetry, and unexpected structure.
Scratchpad (not saved)
Save to create a persistent, shareable workspace.
Simulation viewport
Paint cells, step or autoplay the rule, and use the color age map to see structure persist or collapse.
Tip: drag across the canvas to paint. When you switch to an elementary rule, the newest generation appears on the bottom row and history scrolls upward.
Why this rule feels different
This is an elementary 1D automaton. Each new cell depends on a three-cell neighborhood encoded by rule 110.
Hands-on tricks
Paint directly into the canvas, switch between toroidal and bounded edges, and use the age colors to spot still lifes, spaceships, or transient filaments.
Good presets to try
Start with the glider gun for sustained motion, the HighLife replicator for self-copying growth, or Rule 90 with a single seed for a perfect Sierpinski triangle.