Explore Wolfram's sequential substitution systems from "A New Kind of Science" (Pages 88-89)
One-at-a-time string rewriting with causal network generation and multiway analysis
Sequential substitution systems, explored by Stephen Wolfram in "A New Kind of Science" (pages 88-89), differ from parallel systems by applying only one rule at a time. The system scans the string from left to right, applies the first matching rule found, and then repeats. This creates fundamentally different dynamics than parallel systems.
These systems generate causal networks where each substitution event becomes a node, connected to events that causally influence each other. This forms the foundation for Wolfram's work on multiway systems and his theory of fundamental physics, where the universe might operate as a giant sequential substitution system.