Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

cellular automaton
     
         (CA, plural "- automata") A regular
        spatial lattice of "cells", each of which can have any one of
        a finite number of states.  The state of all cells in the
        lattice are updated simultaneously and the state of the entire
        lattice advances in discrete time steps.  The state of each
        cell in the lattice is updated according to a local rule which
        may depend on the state of the cell and its neighbors at the
        previous time step.
     
        Each cell in a cellular automaton could be considered to be a
        {finite state machine} which takes its neighbours' states as
        input and outputs its own state.
     
        The best known example is J.H. Conway's game of {Life}.
     
        {FAQ
        (http://alife.santafe.edu/alife/topics/cas/ca-faq/ca-faq.html)}.
     
        {Usenet} newsgroups: {news:comp.theory.cell-automata},
        {news:comp.theory.self-org-sys}.
     
        (1995-03-03)