Hands-On Design Patterns and Best Practices with Julia

Introducing the L-System

An L-System, also known as Lindenmayer System, is a formal syntax for describing how organisms evolve by way of simple patterns. It was first introduced in 1968 by Aristid Lindenmayer, a Hungarian biologist and botanist. An L-System can generate interesting patterns that mimic real-life shape and form. A well-known example is the growth of a specific algae, which can be modeled as follows:

Axiom: A  Rule: A -> AB  Rule: B -> A

Here is how it works. We always start with the axiom, in this case, the character A. For each generation, we apply the rules to every character in the string. If the character is A, then it is replaced with AB. Similarly, if the character is B, it is replaced with A. Let's work through the first ...