page_title: Block cellular automaton
section_title: Additional rules
hierarchical_section_title: Block cellular automaton / Additional rules
caption_attribution_description: English: A pattern in the Critters block cellular automaton rule
context_page_description: A block cellular automaton or partitioning cellular automaton is a special kind of cellular automaton in which the lattice of cells is divided into non-overlapping blocks and the transition rule is applied to a whole block at a time rather than a single cell. Block cellular automata are useful for simulations of physical quantities, because it is straightforward to choose transition rules that obey physical constraints such as reversibility and conservation laws.
context_section_description: Toffoli and Margolus suggest two more reversible rules for the Margolus neighborhood with two-state cells that, while not motivated by physical considerations, lead to interesting dynamics.
caption: Gliders escape a central random seed, past the debris of earlier glider crashes, in the Critters rule.
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