English

Is Wolfram and Cook's (2,5) Turing machine really universal?

Formal Languages and Automata Theory 2012-09-03 v1 Logic in Computer Science Logic

Abstract

Wolfram [2, p. 707] and Cook [1, p. 3] claim to prove that a (2,5) Turing machine (2 states, 5 symbols) is universal, via a universal cellular automaton known as Rule 110. The first part of this paper points out a critical gap in their argument. The second part bridges the gap, thereby giving what appears to be the first proof of universality.

Cite

@article{arxiv.1208.6342,
  title  = {Is Wolfram and Cook's (2,5) Turing machine really universal?},
  author = {Dominic J. D. Hughes},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1208.6342},
  year   = {2012}
}

Comments

13-page draft. Languished untouched since 2007. Seek co-author to dot 'i's and cross 't's. Email if interested

R2 v1 2026-06-21T21:57:41.048Z