Thread for basic questions

[confocaloid]

It's just blind luck that it happens to be in three oscillators (the others being 45P25 and Raucci's p102); it's not that common.

Nitpick: uncommonness does not imply uselessness. There is always a possibility of some active object X that extremely rarely occurs when evolving random soups, and yet happens to be very versatile/useful as an intermediate bottleneck.

[TYCF]

What is a SMOI?

[dvgrn]

What is a SMOI?

A "spaceship made of itself/itselves". A definition from Discord is "multiple copies of one of its phases appear in another one of its phases" ... with "restrictions to get rid of trivial cases", but offhand I can't think of what the trivial cases are, since that seems pretty clear. No zero-population "spaceships", I suppose, but that's really just not a thing anyway.

A B-heptomino in this rule is a 82c/8912 SMOI, for example:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 3, rule = B2in3aijqr4cikqtz5r6n7c8/S2aek3-ae4eiy5ceinr6ain
bo$3o$ob2o!

At around T=2150 there are six copies of a later phase of a B-heptomino (SMO6OI?), but of course leading up to that there are two-copy stages and four-copy stages.

It'd be a pain to build a SMOI in plain-vanilla Life, except by importing other rules via 0E0P metacells of course. There are various ways it could be done via replicator-spaceships building copies of themselves that then interact with each other.

[TYCF]

What is the smallest gun that produces this arrangement of gliders?

Code: Select all

x = 9, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
6bobo$6b2o$2bo4bo$2o$b2o!

[dvgrn]

What is the smallest gun that produces this arrangement of gliders?

Code: Select all

x = 9, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
6bobo$6b2o$2bo4bo$2o$b2o!

Do you care what period the gun is? It can be hard to guess "smallest" without building a bunch of options. One easy way would be an NW31 attached to some Herschel factory or other, plus a smallest-possible base gun with the Herschel factory's period to provide the leading glider. (I think that would work, without having actually tried it.)

[confocaloid]

If I have a catalyst, how do I find variants of this catalyst with known glider synthesis on Catagolue? E.g. how do I find synthed variants of eater 2?

[dvgrn]

If I have a catalyst, how do I find variants of this catalyst with known glider synthesis on Catagolue? E.g. how do I find synthed variants of eater 2?

I don't know a good answer to that one, besides generating a big list of possible stabilizations of the key catalytic region (using JLS, for example), converting to apgcodes and looking up their glider cost.

But maybe I do have a possible pointer: I seem to remember that codeholic's Twitter bot ( viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1677 ) somehow noticed when new soups for eater2 variants showed up. I never went and looked how that worked exactly, but it did seem to work.

[TYCF]

What is the smallest gun that produces this arrangement of gliders?

Code: Select all

x = 9, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
6bobo$6b2o$2bo4bo$2o$b2o!

Do you care what period the gun is? It can be hard to guess "smallest" without building a bunch of options. One easy way would be an NW31 attached to some Herschel factory or other, plus a smallest-possible base gun with the Herschel factory's period to provide the leading glider. (I think that would work, without having actually tried it.)

I do not really care about the period but I would also like to see what is the lowest period.

Also, I found this in one of my old posts but I cannot remember where the gun is from.

Code: Select all

x = 136, y = 118, rule = B3/S23
52b2o$52b2o12b2obob2o$59bob2obo2bob2o2bo$59b2obob2obo4bobo$67b5obo$63b
2obo4bo6bo9bo37b2o$63b2obobo3bo5b3o5b3o37bo$67bobo3bo7bo3bo16bo21bobo
$68bo3b2o6b2o3b2o13b3o20bobo$99bo19b2o3bo$99b2o18b2o$130b2o$130bobo$60b
2o70bo$60b2o70bob2o$45b2o82b2obob2o$44bo2bo54b2o24bo2bo$43bob2o55b2o25b
2o$43bo$42b2o85b4o$57b2o71bo2bo$57bo70bo3b2o$58b3o67b2o$60bo10b2o$70b
obo11b2o6bo$70bo13b2o6b3o$43b3o23b2o24bo$31b2o12bo3bo44b2o$27b4o4b2o7b
o3bobo$27b3ob2o2b2o12bo7b2o$32bo22bob2o$47b2o5bo$27bo19b3o7bo$27b3o17b
3o3b2obo$30bo22b2o$29b2o10bo$40bobo$25bo14bobo4b2o$24bobo12b2ob2o3b2o
$24bo2bo6bo9bo$23b2obobo5b3o7bo$23bo2bo15bob2o$24b2o3bob2o4bo4b2o2bo$
26b3o4bo2b3o6b2o$24b2o2b2o3bo5bo$23bo2bo5bo5bo$24b2o13bo$35bo2bo6bo2b
ob2obo2bo$35bo9b4ob2ob4o$36bo8bo2bob2obo2bo$33b3o$28b2o$29bo$26b3o$26b
o4$14b2o$14b2o5$18bo$15b6o$6b2o7b2o2b2o$6b2o$16bo$16bo2b2o$15bo3b2o$16b
o$16bobo$17bo2$19bo$2b3o13b2o$b2o2bo11b2o$17b2o$2bo13b3o$2bo2bo16bo$5b
o12bo$3bobo10bobo3b2o$2bo3bo15b3o2bo$2b2o2bo15bo2bobo$bo2b3o17b2o$obo
15b2o4b2o$b2o15b2o$4bo23b2o$bo2bo22b3o$b3o21bob3o$24b4ob2o16bo$24bo2b
3o16bobo$23bob2obo17bobo$24b3o20bo$24b3o$24bo2bo$24b3o$25bo5$36bo$34b
3o15bo$34b4o13b3o$35bobo12bo3bo4b2o$37bo13b2ob2o3b2o$50bobobo$36bo13b
4o$36b2o12bob2o$35b4o13bo$39bo12b2o$33b3o3b2o10b3o$34bo4b2o9bo2bo$34b
obo14b2o$34bobo$34b3o!

[confocaloid]

[...]
Also, I found this in one of my old posts but I cannot remember where the gun is from.

Code: Select all

x = 136, y = 118, rule = B3/S23
52b2o$52b2o12b2obob2o$59bob2obo2bob2o2bo$59b2obob2obo4bobo$67b5obo$63b
2obo4bo6bo9bo37b2o$63b2obobo3bo5b3o5b3o37bo$67bobo3bo7bo3bo16bo21bobo
$68bo3b2o6b2o3b2o13b3o20bobo$99bo19b2o3bo$99b2o18b2o$130b2o$130bobo$60b
2o70bo$60b2o70bob2o$45b2o82b2obob2o$44bo2bo54b2o24bo2bo$43bob2o55b2o25b
2o$43bo$42b2o85b4o$57b2o71bo2bo$57bo70bo3b2o$58b3o67b2o$60bo10b2o$70b
obo11b2o6bo$70bo13b2o6b3o$43b3o23b2o24bo$31b2o12bo3bo44b2o$27b4o4b2o7b
o3bobo$27b3ob2o2b2o12bo7b2o$32bo22bob2o$47b2o5bo$27bo19b3o7bo$27b3o17b
3o3b2obo$30bo22b2o$29b2o10bo$40bobo$25bo14bobo4b2o$24bobo12b2ob2o3b2o
$24bo2bo6bo9bo$23b2obobo5b3o7bo$23bo2bo15bob2o$24b2o3bob2o4bo4b2o2bo$
26b3o4bo2b3o6b2o$24b2o2b2o3bo5bo$23bo2bo5bo5bo$24b2o13bo$35bo2bo6bo2b
ob2obo2bo$35bo9b4ob2ob4o$36bo8bo2bob2obo2bo$33b3o$28b2o$29bo$26b3o$26b
o4$14b2o$14b2o5$18bo$15b6o$6b2o7b2o2b2o$6b2o$16bo$16bo2b2o$15bo3b2o$16b
o$16bobo$17bo2$19bo$2b3o13b2o$b2o2bo11b2o$17b2o$2bo13b3o$2bo2bo16bo$5b
o12bo$3bobo10bobo3b2o$2bo3bo15b3o2bo$2b2o2bo15bo2bobo$bo2b3o17b2o$obo
15b2o4b2o$b2o15b2o$4bo23b2o$bo2bo22b3o$b3o21bob3o$24b4ob2o16bo$24bo2b
3o16bobo$23bob2obo17bobo$24b3o20bo$24b3o$24bo2bo$24b3o$25bo5$36bo$34b
3o15bo$34b4o13b3o$35bobo12bo3bo4b2o$37bo13b2ob2o3b2o$50bobobo$36bo13b
4o$36b2o12bob2o$35b4o13bo$39bo12b2o$33b3o3b2o10b3o$34bo4b2o9bo2bo$34b
obo14b2o$34bobo$34b3o!

An useless use of SW-7T38

Code: Select all

...

Edit: and SW1T43

Code: Select all

x = 113, y = 87, rule = B3/S23
29b2o$29b2o12b2obob2o$36bob2obo2bob2o2bo$36b2obob2obo4bobo$44b5obo$40b
2obo4bo6bo9bo37b2o$40b2obobo3bo5b3o5b3o37bo$44bobo3bo7bo3bo16bo21bobo$
45bo3b2o6b2o3b2o13b3o20bobo$76bo19b2o3bo$76b2o18b2o$107b2o$107bobo$37b
2o70bo$37b2o70bob2o$22b2o82b2obob2o$21bo2bo54b2o24bo2bo$20bob2o55b2o
25b2o$20bo$19b2o85b4o$34b2o71bo2bo$34bo70bo3b2o$35b3o67b2o$37bo10b2o$
47bobo11b2o6bo$47bo13b2o6b3o$20b3o23b2o24bo$8b2o12bo3bo44b2o$4b4o4b2o
7bo3bobo$4b3ob2o2b2o12bo7b2o$9bo22bob2o$24b2o5bo$4bo19b3o7bo$4b3o17b3o
3b2obo$7bo22b2o$6b2o10bo$17bobo$2bo14bobo4b2o$bobo12b2ob2o3b2o$bo2bo6b
o9bo$2obobo5b3o7bo$o2bo15bob2o$b2o3bob2o4bo4b2o2bo$3b3o4bo2b3o6b2o$b2o
2b2o3bo5bo$o2bo5bo5bo$b2o13bo$12bo2bo6bo2bob2obo2bo$12bo9b4ob2ob4o$13b
o8bo2bob2obo2bo$10b3o$5b2o$6bo$3b3o56bo$3bo57bobo$61bobo$62bo2$57bo$
56bobo$56bobo$57bo2$52bo$51bobo$51bobo$52bo2$47bo$46bobo$46bobo$47bo2$
42bo$41bobo$41bobo$42bo2$37bo$36bobo$36bobo$37bo2$32bo$31bobo$31bobo$
32bo!
#C [[ THEME LifeHistory ]]

...

[dvgrn]

I do not really care about the period but I would also like to see what is the lowest period.

Also, I found this in one of my old posts but I cannot remember where the gun is from...

That use of SW1T43 by confocaloid is certainly going to be cheaper than synchronizing signals from two guns. So pretty much we're looking for the most compact medium-to-high-period Herschel factory to attach directly to SW1T43 -- plus another version for the lowest possible period of the converter, which appears to be 72 ticks:

Code: Select all

x = 67, y = 23, rule = B3/S23
9bo9bo37b2o$9b3o5b3o37bo$12bo3bo16bo21bobo$11b2o3b2o13b3o20bobo$30bo19b
2o3bo$30b2o18b2o$61b2o$61bobo$4bo16bo41bo$2b3o10bobo4b2o39bob2o$2bobo
10bobo4b2o36b2obob2o$2bo13bo4b2o10b2o24bo2bo$19bo2bo2bo7b2o25b2o$19b5o
2bo$18bo6bo34b4o$19b2obobo36bo2bo$19b2ob2o35bo3b2o$21bo37b2o$2b2o$bob
o11b2o6bo$bo13b2o6b3o$2o24bo$25b2o!

So if we can't find a direct p72 Herschel factory, syringe-based circuitry is no good but we could string something together with a speed tunnel.

Technically you can get much lower periods than p72, maybe down to the minimum period of the reaction you're aiming these glider pairs at -- but that would require synchronizing two signals, or more likely three or more signals (making a pseudo-period glider stream along the lines of pseudo-period glider guns).

[confocaloid]

Well 'use of SW1T43' may be somewhat misleading, since the choice to use SW1T43 was before I (re)found that "three glider pairs to one glider" reaction. I started with SW1T43 and tried to hit small objects with its output, and so "by definition" there were already two correctly timed gliders, without need for added effort to keep them in sync.

[HerscheltheHerschel]

What is an (n-)bitter?

[dvgrn]

What is an (n-)bitter?

Generally that's used to mean a still life with n live cells.

"Bit" is kind of a strange word to use to mean "cell", since you're really just counting ON cells, not looking at information-theory bits at all. But it's very traditional to talk about "n-bit still lifes", with uses going well back into the previous millennium, and "n-bitter" is just a shortcut for that.

[HerscheltheHerschel]

What is this called?

Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
2bo$bobo$o3bo$o2bo$2o!

[hotdogPi]

What is this called?

Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
2bo$bobo$o3bo$o2bo$2o!

That's the I-heptomino sequence.

[TYCF]

What is the smallest glider to pi-heptomino and the smallest b-heptomino to glider?

[Haycat2009]

What is the smallest glider to pi-heptomino and the smallest b-heptomino to glider?

The baitless G-pi, for the first one.

[dvgrn]

What is the smallest glider to pi-heptomino and the smallest b-heptomino to glider?

The baitless G-pi, for the first one.

Here is the baitless G-to-pi.. The clearance is pretty bad, to the point where it's probably not usable for most purposes. There isn't an elementary G-to-pi that connects to other conduits, as far as I know, so the smallest workable converter might be something like this -- not sure but what I might have forgotten some recent better options for some definitions of "smaller", though:

Code: Select all

x = 55, y = 34, rule = LifeHistory
29.4B$30.4B7.2A$31.4B5.B2AB$32.4B5.3B$33.4B3.B.B$34.4B.6B$35.10B$4.B
22.2A7.12B$3.3B22.A8.12B$3.4B21.A.AB6.13B$4.4B10.A10.2AB.3B2.15B$5.4B
7.3A12.21B3D$6.4B5.A15.23BD$7.4B4.2A15.20B3D$2A6.9B14.22B$.A7.6B14.
21B$.A.2A5.6B3.B2.2B2.20B$2.A2.A4.19BD15B$3.2AB3.6BC13BDBD4B.7B$4.9BC
BC2B2E9B3D4B2.6B$5.9B2C2B2E11BD4B3.6B$6.29B6.4B$6.17B.4B12.B2A2B$7.
15B3.2B14.2A.B2A$7.15B3.3B16.BA.A$8.13B5.A2B.2A15.A$10.13B2.A.A2B.A
15.2A$9.8B4.2A.A.AB2.A$9.6B6.2ABA4.A$9.5B8.B2.5A.A$9.B.B5.2A.A.2A.A4.
A.A$10.3B4.A.2A.A2.A.2A2.A$9.B2AB11.2A.A.2A$10.2A!

Along similar lines, I think the smallest B-to-G is still BSE1T1:

Code: Select all

x = 34, y = 28, rule = LifeHistory
4D3.3D2.5D3.D3.5D3.D$D3.D.D3.D.D6.2D5.D4.2D$D3.D.D5.D7.D5.D5.D$4D3.3D
2.3D5.D5.D5.D$D3.D5.D.D7.D5.D5.D$D3.D.D3.D.D7.D5.D5.D$4D3.3D2.5D2.3D
4.D4.3D5$9.2A6.2A$10.A7.A$10.A.2A.3A$11.A.A.A5.2A$13.BA5.A.A$12.4B4.A
$12.6B.2A$12.B2C4B$11.3B2C3B$10.3B2C4B$11.2BC5B$12.3B.4B$17.4B$18.4B$
19.4B$20.4B$21.4B!

You can answer these kinds of questions yourself by checking the top of the first post in the Elementary Conduits thread and following the link to the latest collection. Currently the link goes to MathAndCode's collection from a few years ago, but with any luck there will be an update soon.

[TYCF]

...

The baitless G-pi, for the first one.

Here is the baitless G-to-pi.. The clearance is pretty bad, to the point where it's probably not usable for most purposes. There isn't an elementary G-to-pi that connects to other conduits, as far as I know, so the smallest workable converter might be something like this -- not sure but what I might have forgotten some recent better options for some definitions of "smaller", though:

Code: Select all

x = 55, y = 34, rule = LifeHistory
29.4B$30.4B7.2A$31.4B5.B2AB$32.4B5.3B$33.4B3.B.B$34.4B.6B$35.10B$4.B
22.2A7.12B$3.3B22.A8.12B$3.4B21.A.AB6.13B$4.4B10.A10.2AB.3B2.15B$5.4B
7.3A12.21B3D$6.4B5.A15.23BD$7.4B4.2A15.20B3D$2A6.9B14.22B$.A7.6B14.
21B$.A.2A5.6B3.B2.2B2.20B$2.A2.A4.19BD15B$3.2AB3.6BC13BDBD4B.7B$4.9BC
BC2B2E9B3D4B2.6B$5.9B2C2B2E11BD4B3.6B$6.29B6.4B$6.17B.4B12.B2A2B$7.
15B3.2B14.2A.B2A$7.15B3.3B16.BA.A$8.13B5.A2B.2A15.A$10.13B2.A.A2B.A
15.2A$9.8B4.2A.A.AB2.A$9.6B6.2ABA4.A$9.5B8.B2.5A.A$9.B.B5.2A.A.2A.A4.
A.A$10.3B4.A.2A.A2.A.2A2.A$9.B2AB11.2A.A.2A$10.2A!

Along similar lines, I think the smallest B-to-G is still BSE1T1:

Code: Select all

x = 34, y = 28, rule = LifeHistory
4D3.3D2.5D3.D3.5D3.D$D3.D.D3.D.D6.2D5.D4.2D$D3.D.D5.D7.D5.D5.D$4D3.3D
2.3D5.D5.D5.D$D3.D5.D.D7.D5.D5.D$D3.D.D3.D.D7.D5.D5.D$4D3.3D2.5D2.3D
4.D4.3D5$9.2A6.2A$10.A7.A$10.A.2A.3A$11.A.A.A5.2A$13.BA5.A.A$12.4B4.A
$12.6B.2A$12.B2C4B$11.3B2C3B$10.3B2C4B$11.2BC5B$12.3B.4B$17.4B$18.4B$
19.4B$20.4B$21.4B!

You can answer these kinds of questions yourself by checking the top of the first post in the Elementary Conduits thread and following the link to the latest collection. Currently the link goes to MathAndCode's collection from a few years ago, but with any luck there will be an update soon.

Also, what is the smallest glider splitter?

[dvgrn]

Also, what is the smallest glider splitter?

Try the one in the Life Lexicon under splitter, or the other one under reflector; also Scorbie Splitter.

There might well be something smaller, depending on your criteria. For example, here's the smallest fast glider splitter as of this August -- repeat time 61.

[HerscheltheHerschel]

What does "edgeshootable" mean?

[qqd]

It is possible to make a converter with adjusting output clearance? That is, you can make the output clearance as high as possible?
One possibility of doing this is to make an X-to-wickstretcher converter plus a glider that be adjusted to different timings through the spacing of reflectors to ignite the wick that makes a clean fuse moving faster than the wickstretcher. It would then catch up to it and destroy it, preferably converting it into a glider or other signal.

[confocaloid]

It is possible to make a converter with adjusting output clearance?

If I understand correctly, you could create a block, then push the block as far as needed, and then convert the block into a sideways glider. (The repeat time would not be too good, but the lane of the output glider could be as far as desired from the part of the device that is there in the passive state.)

[dvgrn]

What does "edgeshootable" mean?

Wow, I didn't expect to find twenty prior uses of that word on the forums when I searched for it. It's almost entirely a MathAndCode vocabulary word, but has been picked up by a few other people from time to time.

The meaning is explained pretty well by the context in cases like this one.

It means there's a known mechanism by which the object or reaction in question can be initiated, without any catalysts or other support systems nearby. All of the support mechanisms for the traffic-light predecessor in that link can be kept safely behind these horizontal or diagonal "edges", for example, and the reaction can still be created just fine:

Code: Select all

x = 47, y = 42, rule = LifeHistory
7.30B8.A$7.15BD14B$7.15BD14B$7.15BD14B5.A$7.30B$7.11B3D3B3D10B$7.30B
2.A$7.15BD14B$7.15BD14B$7.15BD13BA$7.29B$7.28B$7.26BA$7.26B$7.25B$7.
23BA$7.23B$7.22B$7.20BA$7.20B$7.19B$7.17BA$7.17B$7.16B$7.14BA$7.14B$
7.13B$A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A2.A3$15.A29.A$44.2A$
35.2A7.A.A$12.A3.2A17.A.A$17.2A16.A$16.A$9.A3$6.A33.2A$40.A.A$40.A!

Having more clearance between an edge and the final location might make it "more edgeshootable", or at least more usefully edgeshootable, but a lot depends on the context as usual.

[qqd]

It is possible to make a converter with adjusting output clearance?

If I understand correctly, you could create a block, then push the block as far as needed, and then convert the block into a sideways glider. (The repeat time would not be too good, but the lane of the output glider could be as far as desired from the part of the device that is there in the passive state.)

But can you adjust the clearance without changing the population of the entire converter? You would need some way of specifying how many push operations you need to adjust clearance. One possibility is building a Herschel track which ends with a Herschel loop gun producing streams of gliders that can push a block. Extra gliders with adjustable timing can be used to destroy the Herschel in the loop and activate other circuitry which sends a stream of gliders towards the block that converts it into a sideways glider.