Thread for basic questions

[dvgrn]

The main problem I see is that the title "p124 lumps of muck hassler" incorrectly suggests that the page is about period-124 LoM hasslers in general (any period-124 oscillators that are also LoM hasslers)...

Can you explain a little more why "p124 lumps of muck hassler" suggests multiple hasslers? It doesn't suggest that to me. It's more like, it's possible that that article might show a collection of different hasslers, but it's also possible that there's only one such hassler shown, and its name is "p124 lumps of muck hassler".

To find out which possibility is actually the case, you have to go take a quick look at the article. But all things considered, that doesn't seem to be much of a hardship for anyone.

It seems like there might be a standard developing for this kind of thing -- where if the article's name were "p124 lumps of muck hasslers", then you would know that it's a collection page for multiple hasslers of that type. See pi-heptomino hasslers and so on. But if there's no "s" on the end of the title, why is there an implication of multiplicity?

[confocaloid]

The main problem I see is that the title "p124 lumps of muck hassler" incorrectly suggests that the page is about period-124 LoM hasslers in general (any period-124 oscillators that are also LoM hasslers)...

Can you explain a little more why "p124 lumps of muck hassler" suggests multiple hasslers? [...]

The reason is because it's an incomplete description, rather than a pattern name.

The speed tunnel, for example, is a specific component (modulo catalyst variants). Likewise, the dart is a specific object.
However, "p124 lumps of muck hassler" is just a description. There can be many different, unrelated, oscillators of the same type.

When some text about CGoL spaceships says "the dart", it is safe to assume that it refers to the dart.
However, when some text says "p124 lumps of muck hassler", there is no implication which particular example is meant.

[hotdogPi]

I think WP:PRIMARYTOPIC applies here. The overwhelming majority of uses refer to that one (with varying stabilizations).

There are others, such as p48 pi-heptomino hassler, that should probably be changed.

[ElijahKen]

Is there a way to get a glider from BF22P at p57?

Code: Select all

x = 11, y = 14, rule = B3/S23
7bo$6b2o$5b2o$6b2o4$2o$2o5b2o$7bo$3b2o3b3o$3bo6bo$4b3o$6bo!

Here is the one attachment I found for it, but I couldn't attach anything to that.

Code: Select all

x = 22, y = 14, rule = B3/S23
18bo$17b2o$b2o13b2o$b2o14b2o4$6b2o3b2o$2b2o2b2o3b2o5b2o$bobo14bo$bo12b
2o3b3o$2o12bo6bo$15b3o$17bo!

[confocaloid]

I think this works at p57 (if I understand correctly your request):

Code: Select all

x = 45, y = 34, rule = B3/S23
42b3o$44bo$43bo12$5b2o5b2o4b2o8b2o$4bobo5bo6bo9b2o$2b3obobobobob2o3bob
o6bo$bo3bobob2o2bo6b2o13bo$b3o3bo3bo4bo17b2o$5bobob3obo3bo15b2o$b3o8bo
b2o2bo15b2o$bo2b3o5bo4b3o$3bo2b3obobo2bo2b2o$4bo4bo5bo3bo$2bobobo3b4ob
ob3o8b2o$bobo2b4o5bo2b3o7b2o5b2o$o2bobo3b2obo2bo4bo14bo$obobobob2o2bo
7bo10b2o3b3o$b2obobo2bo3bo3bob2o10bo6bo$5bob2ob2obobobobo12b3o$5bo2bob
o2bo6bo13bo$2b2obobo2bo3b3ob2obo$bo2b2ob2o2b3o2bobo2bo$b2o10bo5b2o!

The sparker is from viewtopic.php?p=168214#p168214 viewtopic.php?p=135795#p135795

Is there a way to get a glider from BF22P at p57?

Code: Select all

x = 11, y = 14, rule = B3/S23
7bo$6b2o$5b2o$6b2o4$2o$2o5b2o$7bo$3b2o3b3o$3bo6bo$4b3o$6bo!

Here is the one attachment I found for it, but I couldn't attach anything to that.

Code: Select all

x = 22, y = 14, rule = B3/S23
18bo$17b2o$b2o13b2o$b2o14b2o4$6b2o3b2o$2b2o2b2o3b2o5b2o$bobo14bo$bo12b
2o3b3o$2o12bo6bo$15b3o$17bo!

[Gustone]

Does the disconnected engine cordership qualify for being a macro-spaceship?

[WhiteHawk]

What is the discovery information for this p72 pi hassler (from Oscillator Discussion Thread). Needed for the wiki.

Code: Select all

x = 51, y = 48, rule = B3/S23
27bo$26bobo7bo$26bobo5b3o$24b2o2b2o3bo$23bo2b2o5b2o$23b3o3b4obo$26b2o
2bo2bo$25bo3bo$20bo4bobobo$20b3o$23bo2b3o$22b2o12b2o$13b2o21bo$14bo19b
obo$14bobo12bo4b2o$3b2o10b2o11b3o11b2o$2bo2bobo14bobo2bob3o10b2o$o2bo
bob3o13bo2b3o2b2o$4bo5bo16b2o2bo11bo$ob2o5b2o17bob2o10bobo$bo27b2o10b
o3bo$41bo3bo$41b2ob2o$23b2ob2o$23b2ob2o$5b2ob2o$5bo3bo$5bo3bo10b2o27b
o$6bobo10b2obo17b2o5b2obo$7bo11bo2b2o16bo5bo$18b2o2b3o2bo13b3obobo2bo
$7b2o10b3obo2bobo14bobo2bo$7b2o11b3o11b2o10b2o$15b2o4bo12bobo$14bobo19b
o$14bo21b2o$13b2o12b2o$22b3o2bo$28b3o$21bobobo4bo$21bo3bo$17bo2bo2b2o
$16bob4o3b3o$16b2o5b2o2bo$17bo3b2o2b2o$14b3o5bobo$14bo7bobo$23bo!

[confocaloid]

Does the disconnected engine cordership qualify for being a macro-spaceship?

Do you mean this:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3198 "Cordership made using individual switch engines"
?

What is the discovery information for this p72 pi hassler. Needed for the wiki.

Code: Select all

x = 51, y = 48, rule = B3/S23
27bo$26bobo7bo$26bobo5b3o$24b2o2b2o3bo$23bo2b2o5b2o$23b3o3b4obo$26b2o
2bo2bo$25bo3bo$20bo4bobobo$20b3o$23bo2b3o$22b2o12b2o$13b2o21bo$14bo19b
obo$14bobo12bo4b2o$3b2o10b2o11b3o11b2o$2bo2bobo14bobo2bob3o10b2o$o2bo
bob3o13bo2b3o2b2o$4bo5bo16b2o2bo11bo$ob2o5b2o17bob2o10bobo$bo27b2o10b
o3bo$41bo3bo$41b2ob2o$23b2ob2o$23b2ob2o$5b2ob2o$5bo3bo$5bo3bo10b2o27b
o$6bobo10b2obo17b2o5b2obo$7bo11bo2b2o16bo5bo$18b2o2b3o2bo13b3obobo2bo
$7b2o10b3obo2bobo14bobo2bo$7b2o11b3o11b2o10b2o$15b2o4bo12bobo$14bobo19b
o$14bo21b2o$13b2o12b2o$22b3o2bo$28b3o$21bobobo4bo$21bo3bo$17bo2bo2b2o
$16bob4o3b3o$16b2o5b2o2bo$17bo3b2o2b2o$14b3o5bobo$14bo7bobo$23bo!

Again, it would be helpful if you provided more information about the source from which you obtained this oscillator. Without that, it becomes harder to recover sources of interesting things.

In this case, there happened to be a recent short discussion about the same question. It doesn't really answer who and when discovered the p72 oscillator, but it does provide some additional information about it.

I did not find discovery information for the p72 hassler involved in a few recent posts above and in the p360 gliderless HWSS gun by KtT, is this oscillator new? Where it comes from?

Code: Select all

x = 63, y = 48, rule = B3/S23
29bo$20bo7bobo$20b3o5bobo$23bo3b2o2b2o$22bo2bo3b2o2bo$22bob3obo2b3o$
23b2o3b3o$26b2o3bo$29bobo4bo$28b3o3b3o$33bo$19b2o12b2o$20bo21b2o$20bob
o19bo$21b2o5bo11bobo$13b2o13bo11b2o10b2o$13b2o34bobo2bo$47b3obobobo$
46bo5bo2bo$46b2o8bo$2bo3bo12bo33bobo$2o4bo3b3ob3o3bo$bo2bo2b3o2bobo5bo
4b3o$2bo3bo5bobo5bo4bo9b3o9bo3bob2obo$6bob2obo3bo9b3o9bo4bo5bobo5bo3bo
$35b3o4bo5bobo2b3o2bo2bo$42bo3b3ob3o3bo4b2o$7bobo33bo12bo3bo$6bo8b2o$
7bo2bo5bo$7bobobob3o$8bo2bobo34b2o$9b2o10b2o11bo13b2o$20bobo11bo5b2o$
20bo19bobo$19b2o21bo$28b2o12b2o$29bo$26b3o3b3o$26bo4bobo$31bo3b2o$32b
3o3b2o$29b3o2bob3obo$29bo2b2o3bo2bo$30b2o2b2o3bo$32bobo5b3o$32bobo7bo$
33bo!

That p72 was on the p72 section of the 2024 oscillator stamp collection
by Entity Valkyrie 2 and I used it for those patterns.

[ElijahKen]

I think this works at p57 (if I understand correctly your request):

Code: Select all

...

Yes, you did understand correctly. However, I was hoping for a westward output (relative to the current orientation), rather than an eastward output.
EDIT: I don't need this anymore.

[wwei47]

When was this reflector found?

Previously updated to the SKOP table in 2024, but never mentioned here: SKOP142 at 125 cells, which gives p131 rectifier loop as the highest-period SKOP with a minimum population greater than it's period.

Code: Select all

x = 49, y = 32, rule = B3/S23
32bo$30b3o$20b2o7bo$19bobo7b2o$19b2o2$8bo24bo$7bobo23bo$8bo24bo$29b2o
$6b5o18b2o4b3o$5bo4bo2bo15bobo$4bo2bo5b3o14bo$bo2bob2o8bo13bo$obobo5b
o4b2o21b2o$bo2bo4bobo25bo2bo2b2o$4b2o2bo2bo25bobo4bo2bo$9b2o21b2o4bo5b
obobo$14b3o15bo8b2obo2bo$33b3o5bo2bo$12bo5bo16bo2bo4bo$12bo5bo19b5o$12b
o5bo$40bo$14b3o22bobo$40bo2$28b2o$18b2o7bobo$19bo7b2o$16b3o$16bo!

Also SKOP134 at 125 cells

Code: Select all

x = 48, y = 31, rule = B3/S23
16bo$16b3o8bo$19bo8bo$18b2o7bobo$28bobo$39bo$38bobo$39bo2$15bo21b5o$13b
2ob2o16bo2bo4bo$15bo16b3o5bo2bo$21bobo7bo8b2obo2bo$22b2o7b2o4bo5bobob
o$9b2o11bo13bobo4bo2bo$4b2o2bo2bo24bo2bo2b2o$bo2bo4bobo20bo4b2o$obobo
5bo4b2o15bo$bo2bob2o8bo15bo$4bo2bo5b3o$5bo4bo2bo14b3o3b3o$6b5o$32bo$8b
o23bo$7bobo22bo$8bo$18b2o$18bobo7b2o$19b2o7bo$29b3o$31bo!

[KittyTac]

Does the disconnected engine cordership qualify for being a macro-spaceship?

I'd say so, yes

[WhiteHawk]

On the fleet hasslers page, it says "A period-10 hassler also exists, however where and when it was posted is unknown".

What is the p10 fleet hassler?

EDIT: It is linked to a reference post, but I don't have Discord to review it.

[confocaloid]

On the Fleet Hasslers page, it says "A period-10 hassler also exists, however where and when it was posted is unknown".

What is the p10 fleet hassler?

I don't remember seeing any pattern at all.
If nobody knows the actual pattern, then the claim cannot be substantiated and should be deleted from the wiki page. It can be removed right now, until someone finds an actual pattern.

if there's a pattern behind the "Discord wall" then someone should post it in a publicly accessible place with a reference. Otherwise, it is possible that there was no actual pattern to begin with.

[Haycat2009]

Just extremely curious: If the metric for smallest gun was population from the start, how would the list of smallest guns look like?

[b-engine]

Just extremely curious: If the metric for smallest gun was population from the start, how would the list of smallest guns look like?

And vice versa: if the metric for smallest known oscillator of each periods was bounding box from the start, how would the table of SKOPs would look like?

[confocaloid]

There are more questions along the same lines:

• What if the metric for glider syntheses was the bounding box area of an all-stages-merged glider synthesis?
• ... or the MCPS of that?
• What if the metric for smallest known oscillators was the MCPS of the envelope, with ties broken by preferring a smaller stator?

For glider guns, the population metric would lead to very boring "glider duplicator + glider loop" guns for the majority of high periods. Arguably, it's objectively more interesting to use the bounding box area metric, because that leaves more chances to use various tricks and gadgets for different gun periods.

Sometimes it's also useful to consider the "diagonal bounding box width" of a glider gun, because the most common sort of spaceship (the glider) travels diagonally, and the corresponding sorts of clearance may be important. In some contexts, a "long diagonally-thin gun" may beat a compact-but-not-so-diagonally-thin one.

[KtT]

How should this pattern be categorized?
This pattern uses 3 copies of c/12d backward glider rake to synthesize MWSS every 128 generations.

Code: Select all

x = 195, y = 144, rule = B3/S23
162bo$161bobo$34bobo123bo3bo$33bo2bo124bobo$34bobo108b3o14bo$50b2o92b
o3bo$50bobo90bo2b3o10b4o$36bo13b3o91bo3bo9bo4bo$35bob2o11bo2bo91b3o13b
o$35bob2o12bo85b2o7b2o9bo2bo3bo$34bo3bo12bo7b2o76b2o19bob3obo$35b4o20b
2o98bob3o$35b3o15bo$50bo$53bo95bo23bo$148bob2o13bo7b2o$24bo6b2o14b2o103b
o11bobo2b3obobo$23bobo3bo3bo12bobo80b2o17b2o15bo3b2o3b3o$22bo3bobo3b2o
12bobo18b2o60b2o19b3o13bobob2obobo$23bobo2bobob2o12bo20b2o101b2ob2o$24b
o3bo2b2o132bob5obo$28bo4bo119b2o11b4o$29bo2bo10b2o108b2o$31bo11b2o$4b
obo183bo2b2o$3bo117b2o38bo27bobo$4bo2bo28bo38b2o44b2o37bobo12bo16bo$6b
obo26bobo37b2o83bobo12bo$9bo11b3o11bobo123bo13bo13b2o$8b3o25bo$8bo164b
o14b2o$6b2o16bo147bobo15bo$8bo14bobo147bo14b2ob2o$6bo2bo14bo105bo57b2o
$6bobo59bo59b2ob2o58bo$6bo58b4o61bo3$128b2o24bo$68bobo56bo2bo6bo15b3o
$43bo25bo56bo3b2o5bo14b2ob2o$42b3o14b2o6b2o57bo4bo5bo3b4o7bo3b2o$41bo
10bo2bo4bo6bo2bo56bo3bo8bo3bo5bobobobo$42b2ob2o6b3o2bo2bo4b2ob2o56bo2b
o8bo3b2o4bo2bob2o$43b3ob2o5b2o2bo2bo67bo9b3o7bob2o33b2o$10b2o33b4o9bo
2bo74bob2o10b2o34b2o$10b2o47b3o74b3o$137bo2$145bo$52bo91bobo11bo$51bo
bo90bobo10bobo$39bo11bobo91bo10b2ob2o17b2o$18b2o18b3o11bo103bo2bo18b2o
$18b2o135b3o$38b3o114bobo$39b2ob2o111b2o$41bo95bo17b2o$60bo75bobo$59b
obo74bobo$59bobo75bo32b2o$26b2o32bo109b2o$26b2o7$95bo6bo$96bo3b2o$94b
3o4b2o3$91b3o$93bo$92bo7$23b2o$23b2o32bo$56bobo$56bobo$57bo$38bo$36b2o
b2o$35b3o$15b2o$15b2o18b3o11bo$36bo11bobo$48bobo$49bo4$7b2o47b3o$7b2o
33b4o9bo2bo$40b3ob2o5b2o2bo2bo$39b2ob2o6b3o2bo2bo4b2ob2o$38bo10bo2bo4b
o6bo2bo$39b3o14b2o6b2o$40bo25bo$65bobo4$3bo58b4o$3bobo59bo$3bo2bo14bo
$5bo14bobo$3b2o16bo$5bo$5b3o25bo$6bo11b3o11bobo$3bobo26bobo37b2o$bo2b
o28bo38b2o$o$bobo$28bo11b2o$26bo2bo10b2o$25bo4bo$21bo3bo2b2o$20bobo2b
obob2o12bo20b2o$19bo3bobo3b2o12bobo18b2o$20bobo3bo3bo12bobo$21bo6b2o14b
2o2$50bo$47bo$32b3o15bo$32b4o20b2o$31bo3bo12bo7b2o$32bob2o12bo$32bob2o
11bo2bo$33bo13b3o$47bobo$47b2o$31bobo$30bo2bo$31bobo!

[confocaloid]

How should this pattern be categorized?
This pattern uses 3 copies of c/12d backward glider rake to synthesize MWSS every 128 generations.

Code: Select all

x = 195, y = 144, rule = B3/S23

Probably I would refuse the temptation to assign this pattern into any specific category. I think a full-length multiword description (like the one you provided) works better for most nontrivially engineered patterns.

It is neither a gun (it fails to "repeat save for the output MWSS"), neither a rake (it fails to "repeat translated save for the output MWSS").

However, someone looking only at sufficiently small region surrounding the repeating collisions could incorrectly assume that the entire pattern (mostly invisible to them) is a p128 MWSS gun; apparently there are three p128 glider streams colliding to create a p128 MWSS stream, those streams appear to be regular, maybe they come from glider guns and the entire pattern is a MWSS gun? But no:

Code: Select all

x = 227, y = 176, rule = B3/S23
194bo$193bobo$34bobo155bo3bo$33bo2bo156bobo$34bobo140b3o14bo$50b2o124b
o3bo$50bobo122bo2b3o10b4o$36bo13b3o123bo3bo9bo4bo$35bob2o11bo2bo123b3o
13bo$35bob2o12bo117b2o7b2o9bo2bo3bo$34bo3bo12bo7b2o108b2o19bob3obo$35b
4o20b2o130bob3o$35b3o15bo$50bo$53bo127bo23bo$180bob2o13bo7b2o$24bo6b2o
14b2o135bo11bobo2b3obobo$23bobo3bo3bo12bobo112b2o17b2o15bo3b2o3b3o$22b
o3bobo3b2o12bobo18b2o92b2o19b3o13bobob2obobo$23bobo2bobob2o12bo20b2o
133b2ob2o$24bo3bo2b2o164bob5obo$28bo4bo151b2o11b4o$29bo2bo10b2o140b2o$
31bo11b2o$4bobo215bo2b2o$3bo149b2o38bo27bobo$4bo2bo28bo38b2o76b2o37bob
o12bo16bo$6bobo26bobo37b2o115bobo12bo$9bo11b3o11bobo155bo13bo13b2o$8b
3o25bo$8bo196bo14b2o$6b2o16bo179bobo15bo$8bo14bobo179bo14b2ob2o$6bo2bo
14bo137bo57b2o$6bobo59bo91b2ob2o58bo$6bo58b4o93bo3$160b2o24bo$68bobo
88bo2bo6bo15b3o$43bo25bo88bo3b2o5bo14b2ob2o$42b3o14b2o6b2o89bo4bo5bo3b
4o7bo3b2o$41bo10bo2bo4bo6bo2bo88bo3bo8bo3bo5bobobobo$42b2ob2o6b3o2bo2b
o4b2ob2o88bo2bo8bo3b2o4bo2bob2o$43b3ob2o5b2o2bo2bo99bo9b3o7bob2o33b2o$
10b2o33b4o9bo2bo106bob2o10b2o34b2o$10b2o47b3o106b3o$169bo2$177bo$52bo
123bobo11bo$51bobo122bobo10bobo$39bo11bobo123bo10b2ob2o17b2o$18b2o18b
3o11bo135bo2bo18b2o$18b2o167b3o$38b3o146bobo$39b2ob2o143b2o$41bo127bo
17b2o$60bo107bobo$59bobo106bobo$59bobo107bo32b2o$26b2o32bo21bobobobobo
bobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobo47b2o$
26b2o128bo$82bo75bo$160bo$82bo79bo$164bo$82bo83bo$168bo$82bo12bo38bo
35bo$96bo35b2o$82bo11b3o36b2o35bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo
87bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo58b5o24bo34b5o$140bo4bo58bo4bo
$82bo62bo24bo38bo$140bo3bo59bo3bo$82bo59bo27bo35bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo
2$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo$91b3o$82bo10bo76bo$
92bo$82bo87bo2$82bo87bo2$82bobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobob
obobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobobo2$23b2o$23b2o32bo$56bob
o$56bobo$57bo$38bo$36b2ob2o$35b3o$15b2o$15b2o18b3o11bo$36bo11bobo$48bo
bo$49bo4$7b2o47b3o$7b2o33b4o9bo2bo$40b3ob2o5b2o2bo2bo$39b2ob2o6b3o2bo
2bo4b2ob2o$38bo10bo2bo4bo6bo2bo$39b3o14b2o6b2o$40bo25bo$65bobo4$3bo58b
4o$3bobo59bo$3bo2bo14bo$5bo14bobo$3b2o16bo$5bo$5b3o25bo$6bo11b3o11bobo
$3bobo26bobo37b2o$bo2bo28bo38b2o$o$bobo$28bo11b2o$26bo2bo10b2o$25bo4bo
$21bo3bo2b2o$20bobo2bobob2o12bo20b2o$19bo3bobo3b2o12bobo18b2o$20bobo3b
o3bo12bobo$21bo6b2o14b2o2$50bo$47bo$32b3o15bo$32b4o20b2o$31bo3bo12bo7b
2o$32bob2o12bo$32bob2o11bo2bo$33bo13b3o$47bobo$47b2o$31bobo$30bo2bo$
31bobo!

[Tawal]

I known that there is a stable Highway Robber (with a high RT).
But is there a periodic Highway Robber that works whatever the timing of the Glider ?

[silversmith]

But is there a periodic Highway Robber that works whatever the timing of the Glider ?

There is almost certainly no known example. Nearly all periodic circuitry is sensitive to the period of the incoming glider, and as far as I know, there are no useful examples in CGOL.

In theory, one could take a highway robber with period N, and arrange N copies, each offset by one generation, so that an incoming glider will be caught by the highway robber with the right phase. Then, the N outputs could by set to release a glider on a single lane, so that the output timing matches the input. However, I also don't think there exists any periodic highway robber which could be arranged like this.

[dvgrn]

However, I also don't think there exists any periodic highway robber which could be arranged like this.

We could probably put together a design that would work for any chosen percentage of possible input glider timings, but strictly less than 100%.

I don't know for sure that there's a dying spark that could be dropped in front of a glider, with just one cell impinging on the glider lane in one generation and then dying off, that would produce a perpendicular output signal if the glider is there but otherwise just disappear harmlessly. But it seems fairly likely, and that's maybe the closest we can get to 100% coverage with a periodic solution.

(With the right ordering of the N copies and a high enough N, things can be arranged so that any glider that would interact with that spark at the wrong time, would already have been caught by a previous copy ... except for about a dozen possible glider timings where the required "previous copy" would be before the beginning of the highway robber chain, so it can't be there to do the catching.)

[pifricted]

What is "isometric neighbourhood"?

[b-engine]

Why a pattern would need a non-systematic name?

If a pattern is referred commonly, it would need a short and simple name. If you would give every patterns a unique name, eventually there would be names for all objects that are never referred. Only name patterns that is really common or frequently referred. Due to this reason I only named a few patterns in only a few of my rules - sometimes using the same name for different but similar things in different rules.
If you really need to name a pattern, it best not to take an existing terminology (or similar names) as it's name. For example you won't call an oscillator as "flipper" - that name would be confused with some existing terminologies.




Quoting this post because it would be helpful for this explanation:

...

Other than "because those patterns exist", why they need any names at all?

If you just need to refer to those oscillators unambiguously, then their apgcodes work better for that purpose: xp62_69960999x6996, xp40_33ocw33z66y066, xp32_8u13jssz1. (You can also reach those Catagolue object pages by identifying the RLE of the oscillator via https://catagolue.hatsya.com/object.)

If you need a natural-language phrase to refer to those objects in some text (explanation, description of a bigger pattern), then I guess you could invent names, explain what each name refers to, and then use those names in the explanation (hopefully consistently).
However, your suggestions 'flip-flop' and 'spinner' sound much more like terms referring to some general concepts, rather than names referring to specific things. (Why this particular oscillator, in this particular CA, needs to be named 'spinner' or 'flip-flop'?)

Traditionally the discoverer of a notable object, reaction, component, pattern has the right to choose name for their discovery. However, many discovered objects, reactions, components, patterns remain unnamed (or named in a technical/systematic way), simply because they don't need any non-systematic names.

[WhiteHawk]

What is the smallest c/2 ship by population with a constant population?

EDIT:

Since you didn't specify the rulespace,

I meant in standard life

[b-engine]

What is the smallest c/2 ship by population with a constant population?

Since you didn't specify the rulespace, I assume that RuleLoader rules could count - the smallest c/2 spaceship wuth constant population would have 1 cell (3-state anisotropic rules) or 2 cells (4-state isotropic rules).

EDIT:
Since you specified standard Life, one could trivially make two copies of a c/2 spaceship with different parity:

Code: Select all

x = 31, y = 17, rule = B3/S23
6bo17bo$5b3o15b3o$3b2ob3o13b3ob2o$4bo2bob2o4bo4b2obo2bo$b2obo4bobob2o
b2obobo4bob2o$b2obobo2bobo7bobo2bobob2o$bo8b3obobob3o8bo$2o7b2o9b2o7b
2o2$5b3o15b3o$4bo3bo13bo3bo$3b2o4bo11bo4b2o$2bobob2ob2o3b3o3b2ob2obob
o$b2obo4bob2ob3ob2obo4bob2o$o4bo3bo4bobo4bo3bo4bo$12bo5bo$2o7b2o9b2o7b
2o!

I doesn't know if anything else could be smaller.