Vex

Vex
x = 13, y = 21, rule = B3/S23:T32,100 6bo$6bo$6bo5$2bo7bo$2ob2o3b2ob2o$2bo7bo2$2bo7bo$2ob2o3b2ob2o$2bo7bo5$ 6bo$6bo$6bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART ZOOM 10 GPS 10 ]]
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Pattern type	Wick
Period	41
Speed	Unknown
Discovered by	Achim Flammenkamp
Year of discovery	Unknown
Rules Outer-totalistic rules B3/S23 – unknown # of rules Unknown
Pattern files Plaintext vex.cells RLE vex.rle

Vex (or simply the p41 wick) is a period-41 wick discovered by Achim Flammenkamp.

Before July 2023, there was no known period-41 oscillator. A vast number of attempts to create such an oscillator have involved attempted stabilisations of this wick, with no resounding success.

Stabilisation

Vex can be stabilised by four copies of 204P41:

x = 145, y = 135, rule = B3/S23 40bo63bo$34b2o3bobo61bobo3b2o$35bo3bo2bo59bo2bo3bo$35bob2obobo59bobob 2obo$36bobobob2o57b2obobobo$31b2o6b2obo2bo53bo2bob2o6b2o$32bo11b2o53b 2o11bo$32bobo75bobo$33b2o75b2o4$34b3o71b3o$36bo71bo$35bo73bo2$57bo29bo $39b3o13b3o29b3o13b3o$38bo3bo11bo35bo11bo3bo$38b2ob2o11b2o33b2o11b2ob 2o$37bo4bo59bo4bo$37b2ob2o61b2ob2o$24b2o11bo3bo14b2o29b2o14bo3bo11b2o$ 25b2o5b2o4b3o63b3o4b2o5b2o$24bo7bobo23bo27bo23bobo7bo$33bo12b2o49b2o 12bo$58bo27bo$50bo5b2o29b2o5bo$51b3o37b3o$51bo41bo$52bo39bo$44b2o11b2o 27b2o11b2o$14b2o27bobo11bobo25bobo11bobo27b2o$13bobo27bo15bo25bo15bo 27bobo$15bo26b2o15b2o23b2o15b2o26bo4$2o15b2o26bo53bo26b2o15b2o$bo15bo 27bobo49bobo27bo15bo$bobo11bobo27b2o51b2o27bobo11bobo$2b2o11b2o111b2o 11b2o$8bo127bo$9bo125bo$7b3o125b3o$3b2o5bo123bo5b2o$2bo139bo$13b2o12bo 89bo12b2o$2bo23bobo7bo71bo7bobo23bo$20b3o4b2o5b2o73b2o5b2o4b3o$3b2o14b o3bo11b2o71b2o11bo3bo14b2o$19b2ob2o97b2ob2o$18bo4bo97bo4bo$5b2o11b2ob 2o99b2ob2o11b2o$6bo11bo3bo99bo3bo11bo$3b3o13b3o101b3o13b3o$3bo137bo$ 40bo31bo31bo$25bo14bo31bo31bo14bo$24bo15bo31bo31bo15bo$24b3o91b3o2$35b 3o5b3o21b3o5b3o21b3o5b3o$35b3o5b3o21b3o5b3o21b3o5b3o$34bo3bo3bo3bo19bo 3bo3bo3bo19bo3bo3bo3bo$34b2ob2o3b2ob2o19b2ob2o3b2ob2o19b2ob2o3b2ob2o4$ 34b2ob2o3b2ob2o19b2ob2o3b2ob2o19b2ob2o3b2ob2o$34bo3bo3bo3bo19bo3bo3bo 3bo19bo3bo3bo3bo$35b3o5b3o21b3o5b3o21b3o5b3o$35b3o5b3o21b3o5b3o21b3o5b 3o2$24b3o91b3o$24bo15bo31bo31bo15bo$25bo14bo31bo31bo14bo$40bo31bo31bo$ 3bo137bo$3b3o13b3o101b3o13b3o$6bo11bo3bo99bo3bo11bo$5b2o11b2ob2o99b2ob 2o11b2o$18bo4bo97bo4bo$19b2ob2o97b2ob2o$3b2o14bo3bo11b2o71b2o11bo3bo 14b2o$20b3o4b2o5b2o73b2o5b2o4b3o$2bo23bobo7bo71bo7bobo23bo$13b2o12bo 89bo12b2o$2bo139bo$3b2o5bo123bo5b2o$7b3o125b3o$9bo125bo$8bo127bo$2b2o 11b2o111b2o11b2o$bobo11bobo27b2o51b2o27bobo11bobo$bo15bo27bobo49bobo 27bo15bo$2o15b2o26bo53bo26b2o15b2o4$15bo26b2o15b2o23b2o15b2o26bo$13bob o27bo15bo25bo15bo27bobo$14b2o27bobo11bobo25bobo11bobo27b2o$44b2o11b2o 27b2o11b2o$52bo39bo$51bo41bo$51b3o37b3o$50bo5b2o29b2o5bo$58bo27bo$33bo 12b2o49b2o12bo$24bo7bobo23bo27bo23bobo7bo$25b2o5b2o4b3o63b3o4b2o5b2o$ 24b2o11bo3bo14b2o29b2o14bo3bo11b2o$37b2ob2o61b2ob2o$37bo4bo59bo4bo$38b 2ob2o11b2o33b2o11b2ob2o$38bo3bo11bo35bo11bo3bo$39b3o13b3o29b3o13b3o$ 57bo29bo2$35bo73bo$36bo71bo$34b3o71b3o4$33b2o75b2o$32bobo75bobo$32bo 11b2o53b2o11bo$31b2o6b2obo2bo53bo2bob2o6b2o$36bobobob2o57b2obobobo$35b ob2obobo59bobob2obo$35bo3bo2bo59bo2bo3bo$34b2o3bobo61bobo3b2o$40bo63bo ! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ WIDTH 650 HEIGHT 600 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 4 GPS 10 AUTOSTART ]]

(click above to open LifeViewer) Catagolue: here

Stabilisation attempts

Before the discovery of 204P41, the only successful stabilisations of this wick came from glider streams coming from pseudo-period guns, resulting in an oscillator with an overall period of 82. Specialised rules allowing for non-vanilla Life behaviour such as StateInvestigator had permitted period-41 stabilisations.

Many, many stabilisation attempts exist where the catalyst or would-be fencepost which is used ends up only being a single cell off from its previous initial state, in such a way that it cannot function the second time round. More traditional attempts at stabilisation through the use of fishhooks do not rephase the wick correctly, leading to rapid deterioration.

Connor Steppie has suggested that when a completion is found, the oscillator will be named Evoker. This is a reference to the game Minecraft.

Other interactions

The vex is capable of pushing two beehives. Multiple phase offsets can be used as the beehives remain stable for a considerable length of time.

See also

• Almost knightship, another incomplete partial result