Create your own terminology

[b-engine]

L-nose: Like T-nose, but the weak dot spark is produced by L-tetromino instead of T-tetromino. An example is pulsar.

[confocaloid]

L-nose: Like T-nose, but the weak dot spark is produced by L-tetromino instead of T-tetromino. An example is pulsar.

To clarify: in the pulsar, the L-tetrominoes are separated from the rest of the phase by an empty line of cells. Is this an implied requirement? Should L be detached to make the osc a L-nose?

Code: Select all

x = 15, y = 15, rule = B3/S23
4bo5bo$4bo5bo$4b2o3b2o2$3o2b2ob2o2b3o$2bobobobobobo$4b2o3b2o2$4b2o3b2o
$2bobobobobobo$3o2b2ob2o2b3o2$4b2o3b2o$4bo5bo$4bo5bo!

[b-engine]

To clarify: in the pulsar, the L-tetrominoes are separated from the rest of the phase by an empty line of cells. Is this an implied requirement? Should L be detached to make the osc a L-nose?

Since that T-tetromino in a T-nose is detached from the oscillator, I think this should also applies to L-noses.

[confocaloid]

To clarify: in the pulsar, the L-tetrominoes are separated from the rest of the phase by an empty line of cells. Is this an implied requirement? Should L be detached to make the osc a L-nose?

Since that T-tetromino in a T-nose is detached from the oscillator, I think this should also applies to L-noses.

Well, congratulations on reviving the discussion regarding what's the consensus on that question: Talk:T-nose (permalink)

[b-engine]

I think we should apply a term "weak L-nose" if the L-tetromino isn't detached from the oscillator.
For example, pulsar is a moderate L-nose, while pulsar quadrant is a weak L-nose.

Code: Select all

x = 32, y = 15, rule = B3/S23
4bo5bo16bo$4bo5bo16bo$4b2o3b2o16b2o$29bo$3o2b2ob2o2b3o8b3o2bobo$2bobo
bobobobo12bobo2bo$4b2o3b2o15bo3b2o$27b3o$4b2o3b2o18bo$2bobobobobobo$3o
2b2ob2o2b3o2$4b2o3b2o$4bo5bo$4bo5bo!

[C_R_116]

I think we should apply a term "weak L-nose" if the L-tetromino isn't detached from the oscillator.
For example, pulsar is a moderate L-nose, while pulsar quadrant is a weak L-nose.

Code: Select all

x = 32, y = 15, rule = B3/S23
4bo5bo16bo$4bo5bo16bo$4b2o3b2o16b2o$29bo$3o2b2ob2o2b3o8b3o2bobo$2bobo
bobobobo12bobo2bo$4b2o3b2o15bo3b2o$27b3o$4b2o3b2o18bo$2bobobobobobo$3o
2b2ob2o2b3o2$4b2o3b2o$4bo5bo$4bo5bo!

I'm not exactly sure how such a pattern can be catalyzed so that a weak l-nose cannot be used, but a moderate l-nose can. Usually, thay catalyze the same way so I don't see why the connection of the l-nose matters:

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x = 28, y = 26, rule = B3/S23
6b2o16b2o2$4bo3bo14bo3bo$4bo4bo12bo4bo$6bobobo10bobobo$7bobobo8bobobo$
8bo4bo4bo4bo$9bo3bo4bo3bo2$10b2o8b2o2$4bo5bo10bo$4bo5bo10bo$4b2o3b2o
10b2o$23bo$3o2b2ob2o2b3o2b3o2bobo$2bobobobobobo6bobo2bo$4b2o3b2o9bo3b
2o$21b3o$4b2o3b2o12bo$2bobobobobobo$3o2b2ob2o2b3o2$4b2o3b2o$4bo5bo$4bo
5bo!

I think that the term "weak l-nose" should be applied to an l-nose that catalyzes like pulsar or pulsar quadrant, while "moderate l-nose" can be applied to one that catalyzes like the caterer.

Code: Select all

x = 25, y = 15, rule = LifeHistory
4.A5.A$4.A5.A$4.2A3.2A2$3A2.2A.2A2.3A$2.A.A.A.A.A.A$4.2A3.2A2$4.2A3.
2A12.2A$2.A.A.A.A.A.C6.C.4A$3A2.2A.2A2.3C2.3C2.A.A2$4.2A3.2A8.2A$4.A
5.A9.A$4.A5.A!

[b-engine]

Engineered methuselah: similar to engineered diehards, but it leaves huge amount of debris instead of none. Engineered methuselah should typically having similar structure and lifespan to engineered diehard, and it's final population should be higher than 1% of it's lifespan.

[C_R_116]

Fender time: Amount of generations it takes for a spaceship to move so that another spaceship can be placed behind it.

Simply, it's the smallest possible period for a gun of a spaceship.

The fender time of a glider is 14, because it takes 14 generations for another glider to appear behind it.

Code: Select all

x = 7, y = 6, rule = LifeHistory
2.A$A.A$.2A$4.DCD$4.2DC$4.3C!

An eater/gun is "fender prime" if it can eat/make spaceships without any collision appearing.

[confocaloid]

I think an existing word for that is 'compression'. For example the highest compression for a glider stream in Life is 14 ticks.

[...] Amount of generations it takes for a spaceship to move so that another spaceship can be placed behind it.
[...] it takes 14 generations for another glider to appear behind it. [...]

[1_1]

This is a somewhat silly concept, but I wanted to share anyways. Hoping this is the right place to share this concept; if it's not, I can make my own topic.

Elementary metacell: a metacell which is not engineered.

You could say that every CA rule has a trivial elementary 2-state metacell, with the live state being the 1x1 living cell and the dead state being the 1x1 dead cell. For example, in B3/S23, here's a glider made out of such trivial metacells:

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x = 3, y = 3, rule = B3/S23
3o$o$bo!

In B3/S23, the 1x1 living cell can also act as a nontrivial elementary metacell when placed in a grid spaced apart by 1 cell. Every 2 generations simulates 1 generation of the rule B7c/S4jw5ckr6k. Unfortunately, B7c/S4jw5ckr6k isn't a very interesting rule.

Here's a small random soup of metacells of that rule:

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x = 13, y = 13, rule = B3/S23
o3bobobo2$o3bobo5bo2$obo3bo3bobo2$4bo3bo3bo2$2bo3bo3bo2$2bo3bobobobo2$
obobo7bo!

I'm sure there's more examples of small, elementary metacells out there. Some of them might even be interesting!

There's two related concepts expanding on this idea of an elementary metacell that I also wanted to describe, and are equally silly.

1: A metacell, equipped with some set of valid states, must always evolve into one of those valid states after a simulated generation. Suppose a search was done, and found there was a "near miss" elementary metacell, where for some small amount of possible metacell configurations, the metacell would not properly evolve into a valid state after a simulated generation, effectively ruining the entire metacell grid. The rule it simulates could still potentially be interesting, however.

We could instead say that the near miss elementary metacell simulates a new kind of rule equipped with a new kind of cell transition, the paradox: For every configuration of cells in a neighborhood, the cell in the center will either be alive next generation, be dead next generation, or will cause a paradox and destroy the universe.

2: Suppose a search for elementary metacells was performed for B3/S23 and found an elementary metacell, which simulates some rule A, which doesn't explode, doesn't die, isn't still, and contains relatively few paradoxes. Then, suppose a search for elementary metacells in A produced one which simulates a rule B, which also doesn't explode or die or stay still, also has few paradoxes, and also tends to not trigger paradoxes in A. Then suppose an elementary metacell simulating C was found for B, then an elementary metacell simulating D was found for C, then miraculously, an elementary metacell was found in D that simulates B3/S23.

You could then effectively create a metacell in B3/S23 which simulates B3/S23, through the nested elementary metacells. The question is whether such a metacell counts as elementary.

On one hand, it certainly would have been constructed, and would certainly display some kind of structure not typical of elementary patterns. On the other hand, it isn't the same kind of construction as is typical of constructed patterns, it likely wouldn't resemble a constructed pattern, and technically it would need to be found from searches. I propose if a metacell is constructed/discovered in this method, it should be called a half-elementary metacell.

[confocaloid]

[...] The question is whether such a metacell counts as elementary.

On one hand, it certainly would have been constructed, and would certainly display some kind of structure not typical of elementary patterns. On the other hand, it isn't the same kind of construction as is typical of constructed patterns, it likely wouldn't resemble a constructed pattern, and technically it would need to be found from searches. I propose if a metacell is constructed/discovered in this method, it should be called a half-elementary metacell.

A relevant discussion (about patterns that are neither contructed manually nor found by evolving random initial soups, but rather found from searches):

I believe the general opinion is that we would start calling the 2-engine Cordership "natural" -- using the specific artificial definition of "natural" that we've got on the LifeWiki. Seems like it would maybe still be an engineered spaceship, though.

I find it strange how a smaller spaceship like a 2-engine Cordership or Pufferfish spaceship is in the same category as an enormous ship like the Caterpillar or Centipede; I feel like these should be two different categories, like “Engine-based spaceships” and “Crawler-based spaceships”… What is the consensus on that?

The two-engine Cordership feels like a special case to me, because it was "engineered" by a sort of intentional serendipity: test thousands of pairs of switch engines with different relative phases and positions (possibly with some random noise at the back) and hope that a ship pops out. I don't know of a word meaning "intentional serendipity" or "planned happenstance" so I tried to create one via portmanteau. The best a came up with was "inventitious", a combination of "invention" and "adventitious".

I think there was a phrase 'reaction mining', when someone is sifting through a large number of different possibilities to find something that works in a given context; generate every possibility, and test whether something works.

viewtopic.php?p=19514#p19514
viewtopic.php?p=17346#p17346

[eRroR_6o6]

I'm sure there's more examples of small, elementary metacells out there. Some of them might even be interesting!

Do you know about the rule "2x2"?

Also, for some reason, I think this specific chicken wire should be called a "honeycomb"

Code: Select all

x = 8, y = 8, rule = B3/S23:T8,8
2b2o2b2o$2o2b2o$2b2o2b2o$2o2b2o$2b2o2b2o$2o2b2o$2b2o2b2o$2o2b2o!

[tommyaweosme]

i made a name for every hexomino https://conwaylife.com/wiki/User:Tommya ... mino_names

[eRroR_6o6]

i made a name for every hexomino https://conwaylife.com/wiki/User:Tommya ... mino_names

That last green hexomino is actually a pentomino.

Also, the z siamese z already is called the stairstep hexomino.

[tommyaweosme]

Also, the z siamese z already is called the stairstep hexomino.

i already listed the stairstep. the z siamese z is different

[azulavoir]

Also, the z siamese z already is called the stairstep hexomino.

i already listed the stairstep. the z siamese z is different

No, the stairstep is the Z-Z. Your stairstep is the pre-loaf.

In fact, here's my names, using the order on Hexominoes:

I, Linker, Y, Wide T, Z, Lock, Poat
F, Table, Z, R, Weaver, Long T, Darner
Boater, Curtis, Cross, Muck 1, Muck 2, Muck 3, Toad
Crook, Stream, Century, Ghost Herschel, Gamma, Pre-loaf, P
Prehive, Note, Fish, Sling, H, Post-Pi, Stairstep

[hotdogPi]

I've called the other one "staircase".

[tommyaweosme]

i fixed the error by adding pink (special case) and adding the staircase hexomino to that, and fixing stairstep. also fixed pentomino.

[Haycat2009]

The pink one is a dectomino.

[H. H. P. M. P. Cole]

confocaloid and I have been discussing this.

Many cellular automata can be expressed as a set of tuples (a,b,c) where a is the state of the central cell, b is the configuration of cells in its neighbourhood (under some equivalence class), and c is the final state of the central cell, under which there is an unique (a,b,c) for all a, b.

In the three types of cellular automata described below, permutations of the elements in b are regarded as equivalent (i.e., b is treated as a multiset of cellstates).

In an anti-totalistic cellular automaton, only the multiset of the states of cells in b determine the final state of the central cell (i.e. the central cell is not considered).
In a pure-totalistic cellular automaton, only the multiset of the states of cells in a∪b determine the final state of the central cell (i.e. the central cell is considered as an element of b and not as a separate entity).
In a semi-totalistic cellular automaton, the tuple (a,b) determines the final state of the central cell (i.e. the central cell is considered separately from b).

Anti-totalistic cellular automata are a subset of semi-totalistic cellular automata, and pure-totalistic rules are a subset of semi-totalistic cellular automata.

[H. H. P. M. P. Cole]

Crossposting one of my posts in the 'infinite soup' thread:

<snip>
Informally, Durnak plasma is a non-vacuum non-periodic agar that cannot have any arbitrarily-large patches of density 1.

In page 6 of this paper, J. C. Heudin shows the mean field equations of Life and LowLife. In principle, this can be extended to any CA with any (HROT) neighbourhood. (I am trying to extend this to INT or HROT weighted CA. If you're wondering, I used the mean field equation for Factorio, 286x^3(1-x)^10, to find the density of Durnak plasma in Factorio.)

Let the mean field equation for some rule be f(x). Formally, Durnak plasma in a CA exists when f^inf(x) > 0 for some x ∈ (0, 1], and f(1) is not equal to 1.
</snip>

An isotropic cellular automaton is described as layer-totalistic or onion, when there is a natural partition of the neighbourhood into disjoint 'layers', such that the new state of a cell depends only on the total counts of alive cells in every layer (and does not depend on the specific configuration of cells within a layer).

'Natural' is an ambiguous term. I could use a neighbourhood with weights (in decimal)

Code: Select all

128 064 032
016 000 008
004 002 001

and claim that it is natural. A clearer definition could remove the word 'natural' entirely and replace it with the fact that the layers must be isotropic.

[confocaloid]

'Natural' is an ambiguous term.

Corrected in the quoted post, by replacing 'natural' with 'maximally symmetric' (which means that the partition of the neighbourhood into 'layers' must have the same symmetries as the neighbourhood itself).

[b-engine]

38P11.1 - Ship and canoe or Ship in a canoe (in analogy to ship in a bottle) I don't know if this name ever have any uses as this p11 is a billiard

Penta-pseudo still life:

Code: Select all

x = 10, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
4bo3bo$2obobobobo$2ob2o3bo2$2ob2o$2ob2o!