Beacon

Beacon
2o$2o$2b2o$2b2o! #C [[ THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART ]] #C [[ LOOP 2 GPS 2 THUMBSIZE 2 ]]
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Pattern type	Oscillator
Oscillator type	Babbling brook
Family	Beacon
Number of cells	6
Bounding box	4×4
Frequency class	8.8
Period	2
Mod	2
Heat	2
Volatility	0.25
Strict volatility	0.25
Rotor type	Diagonal on-off
Discovered by	John Conway
Year of discovery	1970
Rules Outer-totalistic rules B3/S23 – B35678/S235678 Important rules Conway Life # of rules 28 = 256
Glider synthesis Fewest gliders 3 RLE beacon_synth.rle
Pattern files Life 1.05 beacon_105.lif Life 1.06 beacon_106.lif Plaintext beacon.cells RLE beacon.rle
Identifiers apgcode xp2_318c Pentadecathlon ID 6P2.2

The beacon is a common oscillator, composed of two diagonally touching blocks. It was found by John Conway in March 1970.

The beacon is the simplest on-off. Its rotor, known as diagonal on-off, can be supported by several different stators: the two next-smallest are seen in eater plug and 21P2.

A beacon in the right phase can trigger the boat-bit reaction.

Commonness

The beacon is the third most common oscillator in Achim Flammenkamp's census (after the blinker and toad). It is also the thirteenth most common object on Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue.

In other rules

tlife and its related rules have the transition 4q, making beacon an 8-cell still life systematically named "block-tie".

See also

• Beacon maker

External links

• Beacon at the Life Lexicon

• Beacon at Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue

• 6P2.2 at Heinrich Koenig's Game of Life Object Catalogs