Self-Replicating Sequences of Binary Numbers: The Build-Up of Complexity

A recently introduced system of self-replicating sequences of binary numbers (strings) is generalized. It is extended to include st rings of arbitrary length . For thi s purp ose, first , t he folding meth­ ods of st rings into two-dimensional operat ors are expanded to include strings of arbitr ary size. Second, rules of interact ion between str ings of different length s are established. As a natur al consequence of these int eractions, changes in st ring length are observed. Using an effective model of length changes, t he build-up of complexity as measured by t he average sequence length in a st ring population is st udied.