Roger Antonsen
In mathematics, simple rules often give rise to systems of great
complexity, and Langton's ant is a good example of this. The simple
cellular automaton was invented by Christopher Langton in 1986.
While we have been able to prove a few things, like universality and
the fact that the ant's path is unbounded, we are nowhere near
understanding the emergent behaviour of this simple automaton. It is
a beautiful mystery, and also a metaphor for mathematical activity:
We make assumptions and investigate the consequences of these
assumptions. While the rules are simple, the consequences are not.