A New Kind of Science (NKS) written by Stephen Wolfram after 10 years of isolated research makes the claim that much of contemporary science may be rephrased by considering the properties of certain types of computer program. In simple terms, the thesis of NKS rests on the observation that very simple computer programs of certain types can give rise to complex and interesting behaviour. This raises the tantalising possibility that complex behaviours and structures observed in the real world may be a consequence of very simple rules. In this context the Universe is seen as a computational device that processes these rules iteratively and hence generates the richness we, as observers, experience. The book's title is a reference to the search for these underlying rules and it is in the spirit of this search that the following article has been written.
