Thread For Your Useless Discoveries

[Freywa]

All matter of useless Life patterns go here. For example, the following is a methuselah that takes 946 generations to stabilise:

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x = 10, y = 3, rule = B3/S23
3o6bo$obo4b3o$obo6bo!

Have fun.

[Tropylium]

This pattern makes (two copies of) a traffic light by creating each blinker separately.

Code: Select all

x = 25, y = 25, rule = B3/S23
b2o$o2bo$o3bo$bo3bo$2bo3bo$3bo3bo$4bo3bo$5bo3bo$6bo3bo$7bo3bo$8bo3bo$
9bo3bo$10bo3bo$11bo3bo$12bo3bo$13bo3bo$14bo3bo$15bo3bo$16bo3bo$17bo3bo
$18bo3bo$19bo3bo$20bo3bo$21bo2bo$22b2o!

[DivusIulius]

This pattern makes (two copies of) a traffic light by creating each blinker separately[/code]

[DivusIulius]

Hey, I have a pile of useless discoveries... Just some examples...

1. Just three silly ways to create LWSSs:

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x = 9, y = 7, rule = B3/S23
2bo3b2o$2bo3b2o$3o3b3o2$4bo$4bo$4bo!


Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
obo$bo2bo$3o$bob2o$ob2o!


Code: Select all

x = 8, y = 4, rule = B3/S23
3b4o$2bo$bo5bo$o!


2. A stupid way to create two closely-spaced gliders...

Code: Select all

x = 7, y = 7, rule = B3/S23
2o$obo3bo$3o2bo$b4obo$ob4o$2o$2b3obo!


[dvgrn]

I can usually resist this kind of thing, but today I noticed that a kickback reaction into one of Guam's snazzy new 2G-to-G converters produces a fairly clean output glider on the same relative lane, so you get a chain reaction.

So now I wish there was a use for a really really slow one-time kickback reaction that doesn't happen until you've fed in 2^N gliders... but in the meantime, it's a nice Useless Discovery.

Code: Select all

#C N 2G-to-Gs in a spiral absorb 2^N gliders, then kick one back
x = 153, y = 173, rule = B3/S23
101b2o7b2o$101b2o7b2o4$105b2o$105b2o4$98bo$98b3o13b2o$101bo12b2o$95b2o
3b2o6b2o$94bobo10bobo$95bo12bo2$102b2o11b2o$95b2o5b2o11b2o$95b2o2$92bo
$91bobo18b2o$91bobo18b2o$92bo$97b2o$96bobo16b2o$96bo18bobo$95b2o19b2o
4$129b2o$128bo2bo$129b2o$86b2o50bo$76b2o7bobo36bo8b2o2bobo$70b2o4b2o7b
2o37b3o6b2o3b2o$70b2o55bo$81b2o43b2o13b2o$81b2o58bo$59b2o78bobo$59b2o
78b2o10b2o$72b2o60b2o15b2o$72bobo59b2o$73bo$64b2o80b2o$64b2o80b2o$138b
o$76b2o59bobo$59b2o15b2o60b2o$59b2o10b2o78b2o$70bobo78b2o$70bo58b2o$
69b2o13b2o43b2o$84bo55b2o$72b2o3b2o6b3o37b2o7b2o4b2o$72bobo2b2o8bo36bo
bo7b2o$73bo50b2o$81b2o$80bo2bo$81b2o8$111b2o$111b2o3$105b2o$105b2o5$
92b2o$91bobo$93bo11$79b2o$78bobo$80bo11$66b2o$65bobo$67bo11$53b2o$52bo
bo$54bo11$40b2o$39bobo$41bo11$27b2o$26bobo$28bo11$14b2o$13bobo$15bo11$
b2o$obo$2bo!

I manually placed seeds for a flashy explosion rather than a minimal cleanup, so I'm sure someone can find a solution with the Seeds of Destruction Game using about three blocks. Ah -- I mean, I'm sure nobody will be able to find a clean one- or two-seed solution...!

[DivusIulius]

I can usually resist this kind of thing, but today I noticed that a kickback reaction into one of Guam's snazzy new 2G-to-G converters produces a fairly clean output glider on the same relative lane, so you get a chain reaction.

OK. Bravo!

[Freywa]

It is well-known that the R-pentomino takes 1103 generations to stabilise. However, adding a blinker in the right location will approximately triple the period whether it is initially in one phase or the other.

Code: Select all

#C R + blinker = 3190 gens
x = 24, y = 15, rule = B3/S23
2o$b2o$bo12$21b3o!

Code: Select all

#C R + blinker = 3319 gens
x = 23, y = 16, rule = B3/S23
2o$b2o$bo11$22bo$22bo$22bo!

[DivusIulius]

Another useless one: how to arrange two pi-heptominoes so that they produce the maximum population of 2310/2314 cells.

Code: Select all

x = 21, y = 25, rule = B3/S23
obo$obo$3o20$18b3o$18bobo$18bobo!


[MikeP]

I think of this one as the "Homer Simpson" reflector.

Code: Select all

x = 22, y = 26, rule = B3/S23
10b2o$10b2o4$2o$bo$bobo11bo$2b2o10bo$14b3o6$4b2o$4b2o2$15b2obo$15b2ob
3o$21bo$5bob2o6b2ob3o$3b3obo4bo3bobo$2bo4bobobobo2bobo$3b3obob2o2bo3bo
$5b2o6b2o!

[DivusIulius]

I think of this one as the "Homer Simpson" reflector.

[hobbyprogrammer77]

A one-time Herschel track:

Code: Select all

x = 100, y = 33, rule = B3/S23
2bo7b2o$3o7b2o$obo$o$11bo$10bobo$10bobo$11bo27b2o$4b2o33b2o$4bobo$6bo$
6b2o32bo$39bobo$39bobo$40bo27b2o$33b2o33b2o$33bobo$35bo$35b2o32bo$68bo
bo$68bobo$69bo27b2o$62b2o33b2o$62bobo$64bo$64b2o32bo$97bobo$97bobo$98b
o$91b2o$91bobo$93bo$93b2o!


[DivusIulius]

Four-glider mess takes 22,502 generations to stabilize.

77 gliders and 1 lightweight spaceship are produced...

Code: Select all

x = 17, y = 13, rule = B3/S238
5bo$4bo$4b3o$3o$o$bo12bobo$15b2o$15bo3$12b3o$14bo$13bo!


I'm not sure if the gliders come from infinity. How might I verify this?

[dvgrn]

I'm not sure if the gliders come from infinity. How might I verify this?

Maybe just use shift.py to move each glider 10 ticks diagonally in the appropriate direction, and see if you still get the same final pattern. In point of fact, you don't:

Code: Select all

x = 15, y = 33, rule = B3/S238
13bo$12bo$12b3o3$2bobo$3b2o$3bo16$8b3o$8bo$9bo5$3o$2bo$bo!

So you'd have add a kickback and turn this into a five-glider construction.

I was very surprised to see so many pulsars in the final output, by the way -- until the extra "8" in the rule string caught my eye!

My glider-rewinder script might work, too -- as you step backwards there will come a point when the script refuses to rewind one of the gliders. I've been threatening to get back to write a version that rewinds to N ticks but throws up a warning message if some objects can't be rewound. It wouldn't be terribly difficult, but it seems I haven't found the time yet...!

[skomick]

These gliders come from infinity though, producing the same result:

Code: Select all

x = 21, y = 12, rule = B3/S238
$9bo$8bo$8b3o$4b3o12bo$4bo13bo$5bo12b3o3$17bo$16b2o$16bobo!


[DivusIulius]

I was very surprised to see so many pulsars in the final output, by the way -- until the extra "8" in the rule string caught my eye!

Thanks... D'oh! I too noticed the pulsar anomaly but I didn't realize I was pasting a Pulsar Life pattern!

[DivusIulius]

These gliders come from infinity though, producing the same result

Thank you very much!

[DivusIulius]

Another useless one: how to arrange two R-pentominoes so that they produce the maximum population of 2818/2814 cells.

Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 25, rule = B3/S23
2o$b2o$bo20$3bo$2b2o$3b2o!


Edit: It takes 9,496 generations to stabilize.

[DivusIulius]

I'm going to spam patterns that produce two somewhat closely-spaced gliders

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x = 4, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
b2o$o2bo$ob2o$o$b2o$2bo!

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x = 6, y = 8, rule = B3/S23
2o$2o5$b3o$3b3o!

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x = 5, y = 9, rule = B3/S23
3b2o$bo2bo$bo2bo$bobo4$2o$2o!

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x = 9, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
2o$2o3b3o2$5bo2bo$6b3o!

[Extrementhusiast]

Unnecessarily expensive beacon:

Code: Select all

x = 38, y = 24, rule = B3/S23
34bo2bo$33bo$33bo3bo$33b4o3$9b2o$9b3o$8bob2o$8b3o$9bo3$28bo$27b3o$26b
2obo$26b3o$27b2o3$b4o$o3bo$4bo$o2bo!


[DivusIulius]

Old and useless... (Almost)-smallest (in terms of bounding box) patterns (after the glider, r-pentomino and their 3 x 3 predecessors), which produce glider(s).

Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 2, rule = B3/S23
3b2o$3obo!


Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 2, rule = B3/S23
2bobo$5o!


[DivusIulius]

Another oldie... Smallest (in terms of bounding box) 2-cell thick pattern which produces a LWSS:

Code: Select all

x = 7, y = 2, rule = B3/S23
2bobobo$7o!


[DivusIulius]

And the smallest (in terms of bounding box) 3-cell thick pattern which produces a LWSS:

Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 3, rule = B3/S23
b4o$b2obo$2o2bo!


[DivusIulius]

And finally, the smallest (in terms of bounding box) 4-cell thick pattern which produces a LWSS:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 4, rule = B3/S23
b3o$3bo$2b2o$3o!


[DivusIulius]

Three-glider mess takes 8,140 generations to stabilize. 26 gliders are produced...

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x = 13, y = 12, rule = B3/S23
obo$b2o$bo3$12bo$10b2o$11b2o2$8bo$8b2o$7bobo!


Three-glider mess takes 10,772 generations to stabilize. 20 gliders are produced...

Code: Select all

x = 21, y = 30, rule = B3/S23
20bo$18b2o$19b2o23$2bo$obo$b2o2bo$5bobo$5b2o!


[Freywa]

Code: Select all

#C Pi + R = 5548 generations to stabilise
x = 21, y = 23, rule = B3/S23
o$bo$bo$2o17$19b2o$18b2o$19bo!