Expanders thread

[LumpsOfMuck]

I am aware of some patterns in conway's game of life, such as the pi heptomino, r pentomino, and stairstep hexomino, that commonly occur in the evolution of patterns and affect a large area. Yes, I know these have probably all been discovered before and are simple methuselahs, but I am not aware of any one place where they can all be found together. Therefore, I am a starting such a place and attempting to group them together so as to make the engineering of future patterns a little easier, and maybe name some of those patterns that are not named thus far. Here's the ones I know of thus far
The thunderbird:

Code: Select all

x = 8, y = 9, rule = B3/S23 
$2b3o2$3bo$3bo$3bo!

THe pi heptomino:

Code: Select all

x = 3, y = 3, rule = B3/S23 
3o$obo$obo!

The stairstep hexomino aka lumps of muck:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 3, rule = B3/S23
2o$b2o$2b2o!

The R Pentomino:

Code: Select all

x = 3, y = 3, rule = B3/S23 
b2o$2o$bo!

The B Hemtomino:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 3, rule = B3/S23
ob2o$3o$bo!

The Century:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 3, rule = B3/S23
2b2o$3o$bo!

Herschel:

Code: Select all

x = 3, y = 4, rule = B3/S23 
o$3o$obo$2bo!

The Block and Glider Evolution:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 3, rule = B3/S23
2o$obo$2b2o!

The Queen Bee:

Code: Select all

x = 7, y = 5, rule = B3/S23 
3bo$2bobo$bo3bo$2b3o$2o3b2o!

Something I believe is unnamed which yields something I call 2x5 staggered, Important because its reaction with digital eight can yield a switch engine:

Code: Select all

x = 7, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
bo$obo$b4o$4b2o$4b3o!

Something I'm unsure of the name of that I call the blinker bell:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 5, rule = B3/S23 
2o2$b3o$2b2o$3bo!

Something I'm unsure of the name of that yields a blinker:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
2o$obo$3bo$3bo$3bo!

Something else I'm unsure of the name of which I call digital eight, important because its reaction with 2x5 staggered may yield a switch engine, but you knew that already:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
2bo$3bo$3bo$3o$b2o!

These patterns have almost certainly been discovered before, I just want to make it easier for engineers by putting their most common tools in one place so to speak

[triller]

All of your RLEs except the last are missing a CR after the rule datum.

[ZMan]

So this thread is for...? Methuselahs? Rubbish? Unstable patterns? Reactions?

[LumpsOfMuck]

All of your RLEs except the last are missing a CR after the rule datum.

Thanks, I have edited all the RLEs into a proper listing

[LumpsOfMuck]

So this thread is for...? Methuselahs? Rubbish? Unstable patterns? Reactions?

Anything which occurs frequently and affects a large area. Just in case someone wants to build something with one of them.

[p46beth]

Thanks, I have edited all the RLEs into a proper listing

Um....they still don't work.
It is because you don't have a line break before the actual code. Replace the space right after the rule with a line break.

[Extrementhusiast]

It's just me, but I like to call that last pattern "the grate".

[MikeP]

Something I'm unsure of the name of that I call the blinker bell:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
2o2$b3o$2b2o$3bo!

That's basically the same spark I used in my first Life discovery, the "Heisenblinker" reaction:

Code: Select all

x = 8, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
6b2o$2o3b2o$7bo$b3o$2b2o$3bo!

There's a complete Heisenburp device built around this reaction in the Golly pattern collection.

[LumpsOfMuck]

Thanks, I have edited all the RLEs into a proper listing

Um....they still don't work.
It is because you don't have a line break before the actual code. Replace the space right after the rule with a line break.

Ok, I believe I have actually fixed them for real this time. I tested a few of them just to make sure and they worked fine

[LumpsOfMuck]

That's basically the same spark I used in my first Life discovery, the "Heisenblinker" reaction:

Code: Select all

x = 8, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
6b2o$2o3b2o$7bo$b3o$2b2o$3bo!

Cool reaction there

[Tropylium]

This seems to be about basically the class of patterns I call "seeds".

Something I'm unsure of the name of that I call the blinker bell:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 5, rule = B3/S23 
2o2$b3o$2b2o$3bo!

Something I'm unsure of the name of that yields a blinker:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
2o$obo$3bo$3bo$3bo!

They're unnamed I think. I've been calling these "blinkerinserter 1" and "blinkerinserter 2". The shapes you list are actually just two of quite a few precedessors. For example, this yield two copies of BI2:

Code: Select all

x = 4, y = 4, rule = B3/S23
2bo$2obo$bobo$bobo!

It's just me, but I like to call that last pattern "the grate".

[/quote]
I vote yay.

—You may want to add at least these well-known symmetric seeds:
•traffic light
•honey farm
•butterfly
•teardrop
•fleet
•bakery
•pulsar
•phi spark
•gliders by the dozen

Confluence points of the previous, plus a handful of small precedessors:

Code: Select all

x = 129, y = 82, rule = B3/S23
48b2o24bo$15b3o13b2o16b2o9b3o10bobo42b2ob2o$b3o10bo3bo13b2o14b2o10bo2b
o8bo3bo10b3o3b3o8b3o10bobobobo$bobo9bo5bo9bo2bo12bobo12bo2bo9bo2bo10bo
bo3bobo7bo3bo9bobobobo$b3o10bo3bo10b3o13b3o13b3o10b3o10b3o3b3o7bo3bo9b
obobobo$15b3o12bo15bo57b3o11b2ob2o11$98b2o$98b2o4$o3bo$o3bo10bo15b3o
13b2o13bo$b3o10b2o14bo15bo2bo10b2o27bo3bo8bo5bo$12bo3bo13bo15bob2o9bob
o27b5o8bo4bo$12bo17bo16b2o10b2o43b3o13$102bo2b3o$103b2o2$49bo$2bo12b2o
$2bo12b2o29b2obo$bobo43b3o$bobo12bo31bo$bobo12bo$16bo13$112b2o4b2o2bo
4b2o$2bo12b2o95b2o4bo3bo4b2o$2bo12b2o101bo2b2o$2bo$b2o14bo$15bobo14$
14bo$14bobo$15b3o!

(I am currently actively tracking precedessors of TL, HF and Φ from here, plus ∏, R and LoM out of the "methuselah" section. Might have to start on the others at some point. Periodic patterns could use an ancestor analysis too, but I digress.)

Also, as mentioned in the Herchel tracks topic, octomino, octomino II, and R-mango:

Code: Select all

x = 74, y = 4, rule = B3/S23
3bo32b2o31b3o$b3o31b2o32bo2bo$2o32b2o34bo2bo$b2o32b2o34b2o!

Then there's that one that solidifies in 4 parallel beehives in the center (two of them a generation before the others) with two TLs around the edges, but I don't think I have it down in my notes tho

There are also many B variants that end up fizzling out and producing just one block or beehive or something. A few of them get used in glider syntheses all the time.

…Also, I don't think the thunderbird counts as common; I hardly ever seem to see one. It seems about as artificial as, say, the acorn.

[Tropylium]

A few of the messier glider+something collisions may also count, depending on what we are tracking these for.

[LumpsOfMuck]

A few of the messier glider+something collisions may also count, depending on what we are tracking these for.

You have a point, what glider+something collisions do you have in mind?