Line-of-six spark
| Line-of-six spark | |||||||||
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| Pattern type | Spark | ||||||||
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| Number of cells | 6 | ||||||||
| Bounding box | 6 × 1 | ||||||||
| Discovered by | John Conway | ||||||||
| Year of discovery | 1970 | ||||||||
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The line-of-six spark,[1] worker bee core[2] or pretend pentadecathlon[3] is a highly-symmetric spark which closely resembles the phi spark in several aspects of its evolution sequence. A basic hexomino, it arises reasonably frequently from the evolution of simple patterns.
The line-of-six spark and the phi spark both share the D4_+2 static symmetry, resulting in a visually similar evolution sequence and envelope. Another similarity is that both sparks eventually decay into two V sparks; in the case of the line-of-six spark, these V sparks are notably farther apart. In addition, the V sparks from the line-of-six spark evolve from short tables, whereas those from the phi spark come directly from a connected, symmetric core pattern.
Generation 7 of the line-of-six spark very closely resembles the minimal phase of the pentadecathlon, but with four extra cells at the center which prevent the pattern from expanding outwards again as well as destroying the core of the pattern through overpopulation.
Occurrence
As a one-cell-thick pattern and basic hexomino, the line-of-six spark is likely one of the earliest discovered sparks. It can evolve from two correctly-placed blinkers which combine into a one-cell-thick line. Another hexomino, the table, evolves into an octomino which subsequently becomes two blinkers in this arrangement, which then fuse accordingly to become this spark.
Another grandparent of this spark, which also converges to two blinkers, is an octomino resembling a "filled" beehive.
The line-of-six spark is far less common than the phi spark in asymmetric starting conditions. Furthermore, the nature of Life dictates that a gutter is permanently preserved in patterns with odd mirror symmetry if one is to form in such a pattern, meaning that even patterns with the line-of-six spark's own symmetry are effectively no more likely to create said sparks in their evolution sequence.
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Uses
While not a commonly-seen spark in asymmetric evolution sequences, the line-of-six spark can be hassled in various ways. The simplest of these is the worker bee, which react with a spark as to create two blinkers spaced apart which then recombine back into the original spark. Several line-of-six sparks can be positioned to react with each other to form a wick, which can be terminated in the same way as a single spark at each end.
Achim's p11 contains four line-of-six sparks which are continuously hassled by stable components and each other. 66P13 also creates a line-of-six spark from two blinkers, with a single fishhook in the same position as one of the four fishhooks in worker bee.
Two pairs of killer toads can hassle a 3 × 4 rectangle, the generation after the line of six, at period 6.
Oscillators which emit line-of-six sparks as proper sparks in the sense that phi-sparkers create phi sparks do not appear to be known; all known oscillators which involve line-of-six sparks fundamentally require them as part of the oscillator mechanism.
The line-of-six spark can ignite a blinker fuse in such a position that the blinkers to be burned and the initial form of the spark both inhabit the same one-dimensional line. However, this ignition is not perfectly clean, as a traffic light is also produced.[4]
| Two oscillators which hassle generation 1 of the line-of-six (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here |
References
- ↑ David Raucci (July 6, 2021). Re: Golly scripts (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ Hunting (September 22, 2019). Re: Thread for basic questions (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ gameoflifeboy (March 2, 2016). Re: Thread for basic questions (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ Connor Steppie (June 30, 2016). Re: Thread for your unsure discoveries (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums