Conway's Game of Life

Pattern Files for Chapter 5: Glider Synthesis

RLE, Macrocell, or LifeHistory code for all patterns that are displayed as figures in Chapter 5: Glider Synthesis are provided here. These patterns can be viewed in-browser by clicking on the "Show in Viewer" link near the code, or the patterns can be viewed and manipulated by copying and pasting the RLE code into Game of Life software like Golly.

Figure 5.1: 3-glider synthesis of LWSS

A collision of three gliders that produces a lightweight spaceship.

Figure 5.2: Lightweight spaceship gun

A period 30 gun that shoots lightweight spaceships, based on using 3 Gosper glider guns and a 3-glider synthesis of the LWSS.

Figure 5.3: invalid synthesis

A glider collision that produces a block, but is not considered a valid glider synthesis since two of the gliders cannot get into position without crossing paths in the first place.

Table 5.1: Two-glider syntheses

A collection of all 71 distinct two-glider collisions, grouped by what they synthesize. Compiled on January 29, 2005 by Jason Summers.
More info: https://www.conwaylife.com/wiki/Glider_synthesis

Table 5.2(1): Tee

Three 3-glider collisions that result in a perpendicular glider.

Table 5.2(2): 3-glider syntheses of lightweight spaceships

Table 5.2(3): 3-glider synthesis of a middleweight spaceship

Table 5.2(4): 3-glider synthesis of a heavyweight spaceship

Table 5.2(5): 3-glider synthesis of a pentadecathlon

Table 5.2(6): 3-glider syntheses of pulsars

Table 5.2(7): 3-glider syntheses of queen bees

Table 5.2(8): 3-glider syntheses of R-pentominoes

Table 5.2(9): 3-glider synthesis of a switch engine

Table 5.2(10): 3 glider switch engine glider

A 3-glider synthesis of a glider-producing switch engine.

Figure 5.4: 10-glider synthesis of the Gosper glider gun

A glider syntheses of the Gosper glider gun that works by synthesizing two blocks via two gliders each and two queen bees by three gliders each.

Table 5.3(1): Clock_synth

Some four-glider syntheses of clocks.
More info: https://home.interserv.com/~mniemiec/4gliders.htm

Table 5.3(2): 4-glider synthesis of twin bees

Table 5.3(3): hwss 4 glider synth

4-glider syntheses of a heavyweight spaceship

Table 5.3(4): eater 2 6 gliders

6-glider syntheses of an eater 2. Found by Tanner Jacobi in November 2014.

Figure 5.5: fumarole sequential

A 12-glider sequential synthesis of a fumarole.

Table 5.4(1): tub sequential

Sequential glider synthesis of a tub.

Table 5.4(2): honey farm incremental

Incremental synthesis of a honey farm.

Table 5.4(3): queen bee sequential

Sequential glider synthesis of a queen bee.

Table 5.4(4): hat sequential

Sequential glider synthesis of a hat.

Table 5.4(5): ship sequential

Sequential glider synthesis of a ship.

Table 5.4(6): tub with tail sequential

Sequential glider synthesis of a tub with tail.

Table 5.4(7): snake sequential

Sequential glider synthesis of a snake.

Table 5.4(8): t tetromino incremental

Incremental synthesis of a T-tetromino or traffic light.

Table 5.4(9): pentadecathlon sequential

A sequential synthesis of a pentadecathlon.

Table 5.4(10): lwss sequential

Sequential glider synthesis of a lightweight spaceship.

Table 5.4(11): MWSS incremental syntheses

Incremental glider syntheses of a middleweight spaceship.

Table 5.4(12): hwss sequential

Sequential glider synthesis of a heavyweight spaceship.

Figure 5.6: gosper sequential

Sequential glider synthesis of a Gosper glider gun.

Figure 5.7: ecologist synth

Sequential glider synthesis of the ecologist.

Figure 5.8: ecologist synth b

A sequential synthesis of an ecologist.

Figure 5.9: space rake synth

A sequential synthesis of a space rake.

Figure 5.10: schick engine synth

Glider synthesis of a Schick engine.

Figure 5.11: coe ship incremental

Incremental glider synthesis of a Coe ship.

Figure 5.12: 3-engine Cordership synthesis

11-glider synthesis of Paul Tooke's 3-engine Cordership, built by Luka Okanishi and Dave Greene on March 13, 2017.
More info: https://www.conwaylife.com/wiki/3-engine_Cordership

Figure 5.13: richs p16 soup

A symmetric soup that leaves behind a period 16 oscillator in its ash.

Figure 5.15: richs p16 predecessor

A reaction involving common objects that evolves into a period 16 oscillator (and two boats).

Figure 5.16: richs p16 synthesis

An 18-glider synthesis of Rich's p16 oscillator.

Figure 5.17: breeder front

A configuration of space rakes that serves as the front of a Gosper glider gun breeder.

Figure 5.18: Gosper glider gun breeder

A breeder that makes used of 12 period 60 space rakes to synthesize Gosper glider guns.

Figure 5.20: slow salvo splitter

A slow salvo of 2 gliders duplicates a block.

Figure 5.21(a): block move 1 glider

A single glider can move a block by 1 cell horizontally and 2 cells vertically.

Figure 5.21(b): block move 6 gliders

A slow salvo of 6 gliders can move a block by 1 cell horizontally and 1 cell vertically.

Figure 5.22(a): (2,1) block push

A slow salvo of 5 gliders can push a block by 2 cells horizontally and 1 cell vertically, thus undoing a (2,1) block pull.

Figure 5.22(b): block move 1 neg1

A slow salvo of 6 gliders can move a block by 1 cell horizontally and 1 cell vertically.

Figure 5.22(c): (11,0) block pull

A slow salvo of 4 gliders can pull a block by 11 cells horizontally and 0 cells vertically.

Figure 5.22(d): (11,0) block push

A slow salvo of 6 gliders can push a block by 11 cells horizontally and 0 cells vertically.

Figure 5.23: one time turner

An arrangement of two blocks that can be used to turn a glider by 90 degrees.

Figure 5.24: create one time turner

A p1 slow salvo that creates a one-time turner and leaves us with another block to manipulate.

Figure 5.25: unidirection clock synthesis

A demonstration of how one-time turners can be used to turn a set of gliders coming from the same direction into a set of gliders coming from different directions, and thus synthesize an object like a clock.

Figure 5.26: one time splitter

A one-time splitter, which uses 3 blocks to turn 1 glider into 4 gliders.

Table 5.5: 180 degree one time turners

A collection of 180-degree one-time turners that can offset a glider by any number of generations mod 8, and can also either preserve or change its color. The left column of reflectors preserves color, while the right column changes it.

Figure 5.27: clock slow salvo

A an arrangement of blocks that turns a glider into a clock.

Figure 5.28: Clock inserter

A reaction in which two opposing gliders transform a clock into a perpendicular glider.

Figure 5.29: clock inserter effective

A demonstration of how effective the clock inserter is at inserting a glider in front of and beside other gliders. This configuration was compiled by Dave Greene.

Figure 5.30(a): 14 cell synth

The final 14-cell still life to be synthesized by gliders.

Figure 5.30(b): 15 cell synth

The final 15-cell still life to be synthesized by gliders.

Figure 5.30(c): 16 cell synth

The final 16-cell still life to be synthesized by gliders.

Figure 5.30(d): 17 cell synth

The final 17-cell still life to be synthesized by gliders.

Figure 5.30(e): 18 cell synth

The final 18-cell still life to be synthesized by gliders.

Figure 5.30(f): 19 cell synth

The final 19-cell still life to be synthesized by gliders.

Figure 5.31: 17 cell synthesis

94-glider incremental synthesis of a 17-cell still life

Figure 5.32: 17 cell synthesis small

A 10-glider synthesis of a difficult-to-construct 17-cell still life.

Exercise 5.1(a): glider cleanup 1

A 7-glider synthesis of the fumarole, found by Stephen Silver.
More info: https://www.conwaylife.com/wiki/Fumarole

Exercise 5.1(b): tumbler synthesis

A glider syntheses of a tumbler.

Exercise 5.1(c): snacker synthesis

A glider syntheses of a snacker.

Exercise 5.8(b): Glider pusher

A period 30 pattern that pushes a glider one half of a diagonal space away from it.

Exercise 5.22: rich p16 16

Exercise 5.29: boatstretcher synth

A 19-glider synthesis of a boatstretcher.

Exercise 5.30: boat append barberpole

A 7-glider reaction that appends a barberpole to the end of a stretched tub or boat.

Exercise 5.32(b): two time turner

A two-time glider turner.

Exercise 5.35(a): clock inserter use b

Exercise 5.35(b): clock inserter use d

Exercise 5.35(c): clock inserter use c

Exercise 5.40: blockic splitter

A blockic splitter that turns one glider into four.

Solution 5.2(a): block destroy

Solution 5.2(b): beehive destroy

Solution 5.2(c): blinker destroy

Solution 5.2(d): ship destroy

Solution 5.2(e): lwss destroy

Solution 5.4: block glider

All 6 possible ways for a glider to hit a block. From left to right, these produce nothing, nothing, nothing, a pi-heptomino, a honeyfarm, and a shifted block.

Solution 5.5: twit eater

A 7-glider synthesis of eater 5.

Solution 5.13(a): switch engine two directions

A glider synthesis of a switch engine that uses gliders from just two directions.

Solution 5.13(b): clock two directions

A glider synthesis of a clock that uses gliders from just two directions.

Solution 5.13(c): cordership two directions

A glider synthesis of a 3-engine Cordership that uses gliders from just two directions.

Solution 5.14(a): 2 engine cordership synthesis

A 9-glider synthesis of a 2-engine Cordership.

Solution 5.14(b): 2 engine cordership synthesis 2dir

An 11-glider 2-direction synthesis of a 2-engine Cordership.

Solution 5.15(a): switch engine opposite directions

A glider synthesis of a switch engine that uses gliders from opposite directions.

Solution 5.15(b): clock opposite directions

A glider synthesis of a clock that uses gliders from opposite directions.

Solution 5.15(c): twin bees opposite directions

A glider synthesis of twin bees that uses gliders from opposite directions.

Solution 5.17(a): space rake synth

Glider synthesis of the space rake.

Solution 5.17(b): p60 space rake synth

Glider synthesis of a period 60 space rake.

Solution 5.19: back space rake synth

A sequential synthesis of a backward space rake.

Solution 5.29(a): crab synth

A 14-glider synthesis of a crab.

Solution 5.29(b): large still life synth

A 20-glider synthesis of a 209-cell strict still life.

Solution 5.31(a): boat one time

A boat being used as a one-time turner.

Solution 5.31(b): eater1 one time

An eater 1 acting as a one-time turner.

Solution 5.31(c): longboat one time

A long boat being used as a one-time turner (90 degrees and 180).

Solution 5.31(d): one time blinker

Solution 5.32(a): one time square

A one-time square track for a glider.

Solution 5.32(c): two time square

A two-time square track for a glider.

Solution 5.33(a): one time blinker track

Solution 5.33(b): one time boat track

Solution 5.34: Clock inserter (with a block)

A version of the clock inserter that uses a block instead of a second glider.

Solution 5.35(a): clock inserter use b

Solution 5.35(b): clock inserter use d

Solution 5.35(c): clock inserter use c

Solution 5.36(a): tee 15 ticks

Solution 5.36(b): eater1 15 ticks

Solution 5.36(c): clock 14 ticks

Solution 5.44(a): Boat pair to switch engine

A way of hitting a pair of boats with a glider so as to turn it into a switch engine.

Solution 5.44(b): 5-glider synthesis of a switch engine

A way of using 4 gliders to synthesize a pair of boats, which are then turned into a switch engine by an additional glider.

Solution 5.44(c): 2-engine Cordership seed

A seed that, when hit by two synchronized gliders, turns into a 2-engine Cordership.

Solution 5.44(d): 2-engine Cordership synthesis

A glider synthesis of a 2-engine Cordership that works by first constructing a seed and then igniting it with 2 additional gliders.