Synthesis with LWSS?

[Alegend]

I need the answer to these questions, please:

1. How many ways are there for 2 LWSS' to collide?

2. How many LWSS' does it take to make a glider, and how is it done?

[calcyman]

1. How many ways are there for 2 LWSS' to collide?

Somewhere on the order of 100, give or take a factor of two.

2. How many LWSS' does it take to make a glider, and how is it done?

Two LWSSes fired antiparallel to each other can generate two perpendicular gliders, like so:

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x = 45, y = 4, rule = B3/S23
b4o35b4o$o3bo35bo3bo$4bo35bo$obbo37bobbo!

I think that it's possible for two perpendicular LWSSes to create a glider, but don't quote me on that.

[knightlife]

Here are two additiional head-on collisions that produce two gliders:

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x = 17, y = 44, rule = B3/S23
o2bo$4bo$o3bo$b4o2$12b4o$12bo3bo$12bo$13bo2bo31$12b4o$o2bo8bo3bo$4bo7b
o$o3bo8bo2bo$b4o!

The following perpendicular collision produces a glider and a block:

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x = 13, y = 7, rule = B3/S23
o2bo$4bo$o3bo5bo$b4o4b3o$9bob2o$10b3o$10b2o!

My estimate for the number of 2-LWSS unique collisions is 50 to 100 after quite a bit of manual searching.

To produce a glider and nothing else a third element needs to be introduced such as an eater:

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x = 23, y = 48, rule = B3/S23
18b4o$6bo2bo8bo3bo$10bo7bo$6bo3bo8bo2bo$7b4o9$2b2o$3bo$3o$o15$o$3o$3bo
$2b2o7$6bo2bo$10bo$6bo3bo5bo$7b4o4b3o$15bob2o$16b3o$16b2o!

However, to answer question 2 directly:
I believe it takes three LWSSes to make a glider by itself.
A third LWSS can be used to get rid of the block or extra glider, or do something like this:

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x = 47, y = 42, rule = B3/S23
7bo2bo$11bo$7bo3bo$8b4o3$34bo2bo$38bo$34bo3bo5bo$35b4o4b3o$43bob2o$44b
3o$44b2o17$2b2o$2ob2o$4o$b2o3$33bo2bo$37bo$33bo3bo5bo$34b4o4b3o$42bob
2o$43b3o$43b2o!

[hkoenig]

A while back someone asked about Life related projects suitable for a student Science Fair. Determining the answers to these questions would seem to be quite suitable, as no one knows the answers, but finding them should be fairly straightforward. (And resolving the minimal number of spaceships needed to create a Glider requires examining all the possible collisions.)

[knightlife]

no one knows the answers

I find it hard to believe that in 39 years no one has investigated *WSS collisions systematically. While I did go through every possibility for a 2-LWSS collision there is always the nagging possibility that I missed something. Writing a program to exhausively search is the best way to collate the results, but it does take a while to make sure everything is 100% accurate and there are no bugs in the program. Missing collisions and duplicate collisions are the problem. BTW, I have started my own collision analysis beginning with glider-HWSS. Where are those long-time enthusiasts from the past who have already done this?

This is the most unusual 2-LWSS collision I found IMHO.
No chaos here:

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x = 18, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
b4o$o3bo$4bo9bo2bo$o2bo9bo$13bo3bo$13b4o!