A computer science/mathematics volume that attempts to answer the At what point does a system become a living system? Based upon ongoing research into artificial life, the text and included PC software explore several definitions of life and how these definitions can be simulated with a variety of mathematical models. An emphasis on modeling self-organizing systems requires that readers have a strong mathematics background and a broad understanding of science and computer programming. The software in BASIC, C, and Pascal for the DOS operating system is on a 3.5" disk (5.25" format available for $5.00). Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.