English

MetaChem: An Algebraic Framework for Artificial Chemistries

Emerging Technologies 2020-06-16 v3

Abstract

We introduce MetaChem, a language for representing and implementing Artificial Chemistries. We motivate the need for modularisation and standardisation in representation of artificial chemistries. We describe a mathematical formalism for Static Graph MetaChem, a static graph based system. MetaChem supports different levels of description, and has a formal description; we illustrate these using StringCatChem, a toy artificial chemistry. We describe two existing Artificial Chemistries -- Jordan Algebra AChem and Swarm Chemistries -- in MetaChem, and demonstrate how they can be combined in several different configurations by using a MetaChem environmental link. MetaChem provides a route to standardisation, reuse, and composition of Artificial Chemistries and their tools.

Cite

@article{arxiv.1905.12541,
  title  = {MetaChem: An Algebraic Framework for Artificial Chemistries},
  author = {Penelope Faulkner Rainford and Angelika Sebald and Susan Stepney},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1905.12541},
  year   = {2020}
}

Comments

39 pages, 19 figures; minor typos corrected

R2 v1 2026-06-23T09:31:53.035Z