Glider to block
| Glider to block | |||||||||
| View static image | |||||||||
| Pattern type | Conduit | ||||||||
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| Conduit type | Stable | ||||||||
| Input | glider | ||||||||
| Output | block | ||||||||
| Number of cells | 30 | ||||||||
| Bounding box | 16 × 21 | ||||||||
| Step | Unknown | ||||||||
| Recovery time (ignoring FNG if any) |
Unknown | ||||||||
| Minimum overclock period (ignoring FNG if any) |
Unknown | ||||||||
| Spartan? | Yes | ||||||||
| Discovered by | Paul Callahan | ||||||||
| Year of discovery | 1996 | ||||||||
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Glider to block is a stable factory discovered by Paul Callahan in 1996 that places a block at its right edge in response to a single glider input. Consisting of a boat, a block and three eater 1s, it is Spartan. In the infobox, a duoplet represents the position of the block. The conduit cannot be used again before clearing that block.
The converter has a variety of uses in Herschel circuitry and other signal-processing applications, for instance the 487-tick reflector. In the infobox, the block is consumed in a Spartan glider-reflecting reaction that inspired the discovery of Snark.
Glider to block with diagonal clearance
On October 9, 2023, Luke Kiernan discovered two alternate catalyses of the initial reaction in the speed tunnel that produce an output block a good distance from the reaction site.[1][2] Unlike the original glider to block converter, these new converters produce their blocks on transparent perpendicular glider lanes, similar to the known beehive stopper.
| glider to block converter with high diagonal clearance, showing incoming RESET, SET, and READ gliders exercising the mechanism (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here |
| glider to block converter variant with even higher diagonal clearance (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here |
The new glider to block has the additional property of being a safe toggle switch. A second glider following on the same input lane will cleanly destroy a block created by the previous glider. This means that there is no combination of "SET" and "READ" inputs that can destroy the mechanism, as long as enough time is allowed to pass between inputs. By contrast, the beehive stopper, the demultiplexer, and most other known factories used in logic circuitry will fail catastrophically if a second SET input occurs before a READ input removes the key object.
Glider to boat
| A glider-to-boat converter (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here |
If the leftmost block is removed, the device will produce an extra boat. The original block can be consumed by a large catalyst, thus giving a glider-to-boat converter.[3] Another input glider five half-diagonals apart can be reflected 90 degrees by the turner boat. This device has been used in record-breaking HWSS-to-G converters[4][5] and 2c/3 wire receivers.[6]
Glider to boat with diagonal clearance
On October 9, 2023, Luke Kiernan discovered an alternate catalysis of the initial reaction in the speed tunnel that produces an output boat a good distance from the reaction site.[1][2] Unlike the original glider to boat converter, these new converters produce their blocks on transparent perpendicular glider lanes, similar to the known beehive stopper.
| A glider-to-boat converter (click above to open LifeViewer) |
Unlike the previously mentioned glider to block with diagonal clearance, it is not a completely safe toggle switch as the READ glider would destroy an eater that cannot be replaced with an eater 2.
See also
- Glider to 2 blocks
- Block factory
- Demultiplexer (Herschel to boat)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Luke Kiernan (October 9, 2023). Re: Thread for your unsure discoveries (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Luke Kiernan (October 9, 2023). Re: Thread for your unsure discoveries (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ Tanner Jacobi (June 3, 2021). Re: The Hunting of the Elementary Conduits (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ Tanner Jacobi (June 12, 2020). Re: Thread For Your Useless Discoveries (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ Goldtiger997 (June 20, 20220). Re: Stable signal converters (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ Goldtiger997 (September 12, 2021). Re: Faster 2c/3 Wires (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
External links
- Glider to block at the Life Lexicon
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