A cool growing wick!

For discussion of specific patterns or specific families of patterns, both newly-discovered and well-known.
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Ivan
Posts: 8
Joined: August 13th, 2011, 2:22 pm

A cool growing wick!

Post by Ivan » August 21st, 2011, 1:03 pm

After some time playing around with *WSSs, I noted that various OverWeight Spaceships can stabilize each other:

Code: Select all

x = 25, y = 220, rule = B3/S23
7$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12b
o$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo
2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo
$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o
4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12b
o$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo
2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo
$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o
4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12b
o$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo
2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo
$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o
4$7b13o$6bo12bo$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o4$7b13o$6bo12b
o$19bo$6bo11bo2$6bo11bo$19bo$6bo12bo$7b13o!
Making a extensible moving wick. And if we make a *WSS with heads on both sides, it grows until it becomes a OWSS,
and is killed by its own sparks:

Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 4, rule = B3/S23
bobo$o3bo$o3bo$5o!
Similarly, if both sides are tails, it shrinks until it collapses. But that is not very useful.

Based on the principle that OWSS stabilizes each other, Ta-Daa: We have a growing wick that grows in one dimension and shrinks (burns) in another one:

Code: Select all

x = 9, y = 422, rule = B3/S23
$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$
2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b
5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2b
obo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o
$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bob
o$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$b
o3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$
bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo
3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$b
o3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3b
o$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo
3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo
$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3b
o$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$b
o3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$
bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo
3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$b
o3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3b
o$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo
3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo
$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3b
o$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$
2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo$b5o4$b5o$bo3bo$bo3bo$2bobo2$2bobo$bo3bo$bo3bo
$b5o!
PS: Was this discovered before? I did'nt find it in LifeWiki, so I posted here.

PSS: Have you ever notice the similarity between a *WSS head and a B-Heptomino?
Run this carefully for 12 generations and say what you think:

Code: Select all

x = 6, y = 17, rule = B3/S23
3bo$3b2o$4b2o$3b2o10$b3o$5o$3ob2o$3b2o!
EDIT: Spacefiller for a tube:

Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 96, rule = B3/S23:T0,96
$bobo$o3bo$o3bo$5o4$5o$o3bo$o3bo$bobo2$bobo$o3bo$o3bo$5o4$5o$o3bo$o3bo
$bobo2$bobo$o3bo$o3bo$5o4$5o$o3bo$o3bo$bobo2$bobo$o3bo$o3bo$5o4$5o$o3b
o$o3bo$bobo2$bobo$o3bo$o3bo$5o4$5o$o3bo$o3bo$bobo2$bobo$o3bo$o3bo$5o4$
5o$o3bo$o3bo$bobo2$bobo$o3bo$o3bo$5o4$5o$o3bo$o3bo$bobo2$bobo$o3bo$o3b
o$5o4$5o$o3bo$o3bo$bobo!

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Tropylium
Posts: 421
Joined: May 31st, 2011, 7:12 pm
Location: Finland

Re: A cool growing wick!

Post by Tropylium » August 21st, 2011, 5:41 pm

Presumably this isn't on the LifeWiki because it isn't a "stable" object yet, just a concept.

I even saw someone post not long ago (apologies, I forgot who or where you were :oops:) that you can also link a *WSS head to an emulator stator for a pattern growing in only one direction:

Code: Select all

x = 9, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
2b2obobo$2bo5bo$3b2o3bo$3o2b4o$o2bo$b2o!
Making spacefillers from these principles seems difficult however since we'd need to synthesize new *WSS components insanely fast. A racetrack from blocks etc, or a continuous suppressing glider salvo might be better feasible…

I've not seen it stated out loud offen but I'm pretty sure the *WSS/B relationship has been commonly noted. They're basically two different tails for the basic c/2 engine:

Code: Select all

...   ...   -..   -..
O..   O..   aO.   -O.
O.. > OO. > bØ. > -OO > etc.
O..   O..   cO.   -O.
...   ...   -..   -..
Only one of a/b/c may be alive; otherwise the cell mark'd Ø will die. However, since both sides need to survive to the next stage, if a or c is alive, then on the other side, a "horn" is needed:

Code: Select all

-..   -..
OO.   -O.
.O. > .OO
.O.   -O.
O..   -..
…and so on — you can just about work backwards from there to derive the *WSSes by hand. There are more symmetric versions too (mostly with 2 horns, I don't recall if there are any with b = alive) in larger c/2 ships.

Also, it's not rare at all for natural *WSSes to "separate" from a B or a similar explosion with some kind of suitable junk behind it. This reaction for example:

Code: Select all

x = 20, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
bo$3o$obo3$17b3o!
The engine forms at gen. 97; it detaches as an LWSS 9 generations later.

—For related if a bit off-topic fun, DotLife (B3/S023) has a simple stabilization of a B into a spaceship:

Code: Select all

x = 5, y = 9, rule = B3/S023
3o$o2bo$ob2o3$o3bo$o$o3bo$2bo!

Ivan
Posts: 8
Joined: August 13th, 2011, 2:22 pm

Re: A cool growing wick!

Post by Ivan » August 21st, 2011, 6:26 pm

Thanks for explanation! :D

But I noticed that the LifeWiki wicks/fuses collection is very small, so I am trying to make new wicks, so is is less probable that people will say "No, no, this was already invented..."
Making spacefillers from these principles seems difficult however since we'd need to synthesize new *WSS components insanely fast. A racetrack from blocks etc, or a continuous suppressing glider salvo might be better feasible…
I know that, but if you put it in a tube manifold (avaliable in Golly 2.2) it grows forever...
Also, it's not rare at all for natural *WSSes to "separate" from a B or a similar explosion with some kind of suitable junk behind it. This reaction for example:
Code: Select all
x = 20, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
bo$3o$obo3$17b3o!

The engine forms at gen. 97; it detaches as an LWSS 9 generations later.
Wow. And I thought that *WSSes were extremely rare! Very clear example.

DotLife is a interesting rule. I'll play around with it, perhaps I find something useful.

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Tropylium
Posts: 421
Joined: May 31st, 2011, 7:12 pm
Location: Finland

Re: A cool growing wick!

Post by Tropylium » August 21st, 2011, 7:31 pm

Ivan wrote:
Also, it's not rare at all for natural *WSSes to "separate" from a B or a similar explosion with some kind of suitable junk behind it. This reaction for example:
Code: Select all
x = 20, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
bo$3o$obo3$17b3o!

The engine forms at gen. 97; it detaches as an LWSS 9 generations later.
Wow. And I thought that *WSSes were extremely rare! Very clear example.
They're not exactly plentiful, but no, not what I'd call spectacularly rare either. Achim F's soup results list a ratio of about 81 LWSSs, 22 MWSSs and 4 HWSSs per 50000 gliders. For comparision, the same data also indicates about 124 beacons and 8 pulsars per 50000 blinkers, or 19 longbarges, 12 aircraft carriers and 3 biponds per 50000 blocks.

Still, I've wonder'd how exactly did Conway discover the *WSSs, as that is still clearly too rare to seem them form from a soup back in the 70s. The manual engine stabilization option then? Or some luck in testing various starting patterns?

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calcyman
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Joined: June 1st, 2009, 4:32 pm

Re: A cool growing wick!

Post by calcyman » August 22nd, 2011, 4:06 am

apologies, I forgot who or where you were
That was me. I wondered whether there could be a c/2 puffer to add blocks (or other inductors) to stabilise the sides of the growing *WSS to result in a wickstretcher.
Still, I've wonder'd how exactly did Conway discover the *WSSs
I seem to recall that he saw a natural LWSS on a computer simulation, and then realised that it could be extended.
otherwise the cell mark'd Ø will die.
Yay, empty set symbol! :D
What do you do with ill crystallographers? Take them to the mono-clinic!

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Tropylium
Posts: 421
Joined: May 31st, 2011, 7:12 pm
Location: Finland

Re: A cool growing wick!

Post by Tropylium » August 22nd, 2011, 5:23 am

calcyman wrote:
otherwise the cell mark'd Ø will die.
Yay, empty set symbol! :D
Close, but not quite :wink: That's the Danish/Norwegian O-with-slash. This is an empty set symbol: ∅

And for good measure — pun unintended but embraced — have a diameter sign, too: ⌀

(Unicode. Gotta love it.)

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