4.8CEMar 10
First Steps towards Categorical Algebraic Artificial ChemistryJoe Pratt-Johns, Toby St. Clere Smithe, Chris Guiver et al.
We construct a functor that gives a dynamics to an algebraic model of interacting components. The construction generalises a computational model of Fontana and Buss in the field of artificial life known as AlChemy, in which molecules and their chemical interactions are emulated by lambda calculus terms and their application and subsequent reduction. We discuss future directions for the application of category theory to algebraic artificial chemistry as an organisational tool, with a focus on formalising the connection between the algebraic and the dynamical facets of such models.