Fly-by deletion

Fly-by deletion is a reaction performed by a passing convoy of spaceships which deletes a common stationary object without harming the convoy. Fly-by deletion is often used in the construction of puffers, rakes and spaceships to clean up unwanted debris.

There are small objects which have no documented fly-by deletion reactions. However, as in the case of reanimation, hitting them with the output of rakes is an effective brute force method.

c/2 convoys

For c/2 convoys this is not usually difficult since the LWSS, MWSS and HWSS spaceships have such useful sparks. However, some objects are more difficult to delete with c/2 convoys. For example, deleting a tub appears to require an unusual p4 spaceship.

x = 33, y = 16, rule = B3/S23 23bo$22bobo$23bo4$16b3o$3o13bo2bo$o2bo4b3o5bo11b3o$o7bo2bo4bo3bo7bo2bo $o3bo2bo3bo4bo3bo7bo$o6bobo3bo2bo11bo3bo$bo2b2o8bobo11bo3bo$b5o8bo13bo $4b2o6bo3b3o10bobo$b2o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 450 WIDTH 600 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 12 GPS 5 AUTOSTART T 0 PAUSE 2 LOOP 40 ]]

Fly-by deletion of a tub (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here

For the fly-by deletion of a pond, a solution was known in 2001 requiring a convoy which is 89 cells in width containing a very unusual p4 spaceship which has 273 cells. A smaller solution was found by May13 June 10, 2022.

x = 89, y = 53 23boo16bo5bo18bo5bo5bo$22bobbo14b3o3b3o7b3o6b3o3b3o3b3o$22bobbo14boboo boobbo5bobbo6bobooboobbobobboo5bo$23boo6bo9bobo4b3o3b3obbo6bobobobboob obboo4b3o$30b3o8b3obobobo8b6obbo3bobobobobbo5boboo$bo15bo11bobboo3b8ob 5obobbo4bobo3b3o5b3o3bo5b3o$3o6bo6b3o10bobboo3boboobbo5bobobbo9bo4boob o7bo5b3o$oboo4b3o5boboo11bobbobbobo4bobbo15bo7bo8b4obboo$b3o3bobboo5b 3o7bo3bobbo9boo30bo3bo$b3obbobobbo5b3o11b4o$boo7bob3obboo12booboo$4boo 6boo3boo14bobbo$bbobbo6bo3boo12bobbobbob3o$bo11bo17bo6boboo$bo35bobbob oo$40bobo$19bo12bo6booboboo$18b3o10b3o8boboo$18boboo8boobo8bobbo$19b3o 8b3o9booboo$19b3o8b3o6booboobbo$19b3o9boo8boobbobo$19boo20boo$$42bobo$ 17bo23bob3o$16b3o21boobobbo$15boobo20bobo$15b3o21bo5bo$15b3o20bo4bobo$ 16boo19boo4bobo$37boo$38bobbo$$38b3o$37bobbo$37b5o$37boo$38boobbo$39bo 5bo$38bo5b3o$37boo5boboo$38bo6b3o$38bo6boo$39boboo$40b3o$$43bo$44bo$ 44boo$44b3o$44b3o$44boo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ THEME 6 GRID THUMBSIZE 2 THUMBLAUNCH AUTOSTART GPS 10 LOOP 120 ZOOM 8 HEIGHT 800 WIDTH 800 Y -30 T 0 PAUSE 2 ]]

A fly-by deletion of a pond using an unusual spaceship, from a collection by Jason Summers in 2001 (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here

x = 84, y = 20, rule = B3/S23 7b2o$6bo2bo$6bo2bo$7b2o4$17bo9bo$16b3o7b3o$15bo2b2o5b2o2bo5b3o3b3o$16b 4o5bo2b3o4bo2bo2bo2bo12b3o$14bo2bo2bo4bobo3bo2bo3bo2bo2bo12bo2bo13b3o$ 14b2o5b3obo3b7ob2o3bo7bo6bo7b3o5bo2bo4b3o$13bo3bo4b2obobo15b3o3b3o5bo 3bo2bo2bo8bo3bo2bo$13bobo2bo8bo2bob4ob2obo5bobo2b2o2bobo3bo6bo3bo3bo6b o$bo12b2o3b5o6bo4bobobo3b4obobobob3o4bobo6b3o3bo6bo$3o11bo2b3o4bo5bo 12b2ob5o3bo7b3o5b2o2b3ob2o2bo$ob2o10bo4b11o10bo8b3o4bo3bo4b2o4bo6bo$b 3o18b2o4bo2bo6b2o11bo5bo16bo2bo$b2o11b2o3b2o4b2o47bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ THEME 6 GRID THUMBSIZE 2 THUMBLAUNCH AUTOSTART GPS 10 LOOP 120 ZOOM 8 HEIGHT 500 WIDTH 800 Y -30 T 0 PAUSE 2 ]]

Smaller fly-by deletion of a pond by May13 in 2022 (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here

c/3 convoys

It is also easy for c/3 convoys as edge-repair spaceships can repair themselves as they delete objects.

x = 113, y = 11, rule = B3/S23 107bo3bo$107b2ob2o$108bobo$29bo76bobobobo$16bo11b2o8bo19bo8b2o8bo19bo 8b2o3b2o$o14b4o9bo8b4o15b4o7b2o7b4o15b4o8bo3bo$obo7bo3bo3b2ob2o9bo3bo 3b2ob2o7b2ob2o3bo3bo6bo3bo3b2ob2o7b2ob2o3bo3bo$3o6b4o5bo2b2o8b4o5bo2b 2o7b2o2bo5b4o4b4o5bo2b2o7b2o2bo5b4o$2bo5bo3bo7bo2bo6bo3bo7bo2bo5bo2bo 7bo3bo2bo3bo7bo2bo5bo2bo7bo3bo$9bobo2bo16bobo2bo23bo2bobo4bobo2bo23bo 2bobo$13bo21bo25bo12bo25bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 400 WIDTH 960 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 8 GPS 10 AUTOSTART T 0 PAUSE 2 LOOP 100 ]]

From left to right, edge-repair spaceships delete a Herschel, pre-beehive, block, and tumbler (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here

c/6 convoys

c/6 convoys can easily delete objects as the Bulldozer has a strong center forward spark that can delete many objects, as it has a low enough speed.

x = 63, y = 16, rule = B3/S23 11bo2b3o$o9bo2bobo$3o5bob4o$2b2o5b2o18b2o$2bo2bo4bo18bobo18bo$bo3bo4bo 9b3o2b2o3bo11bo7b2o$7bobo4b2o2b2o3b4o14bobo6b2o6bo$5b2ob2o3b2o5bo3bo3b 3o10b2o8bo6bobo$5b2ob2o3b2o5bo3bo3b3o6b2o7bo9bo$7bobo4b2o2b2o3b4o10b2o 7bo14b2o$bo3bo4bo9b3o2b2o3bo15bo8b2o$2bo2bo4bo18bobo29bo$2b2o5b2o18b2o 26bobo$3o5bob4o45bo$o9bo2bobo$11bo2b3o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ HEIGHT 400 WIDTH 1000 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 14 GPS 8 AUTOSTART T 0 PAUSE 2 T 144 PAUSE 1 LOOP 145 ]] #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]]

The bulldozer running over a block, boat, blinker, toad and phoenix 1 (click above to open LifeViewer)

External links

• Fly-by deletion at the Life Lexicon