Bistable switch
| Bistable switch | |||||||||
| View static image | |||||||||
| Pattern type | Memory cell | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of cells | 43 | ||||||||
| Bounding box | 30 × 48 | ||||||||
| Static symmetry | C1 | ||||||||
| Discovered by | Paul Callahan | ||||||||
| Year of discovery | 1994 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
The bistable switch is a partial stable reflector discovered in 1994 by Paul Callahan.
Structure
The switch consists of elementary still lifes. More specifically, it uses a block and eater 1, together with a century eater consisting of three eater 1s surrounding a central beehive. In addition to these permanent catalysts, there is an extra still-life to represent the state. This can either be a block or boat, depending on the state.
Reflecting ability
The switch was found when trying to build a stable reflector. When the glider collides with the boat, it is converted into a block and a glider is emitted perpendicular to the incident glider. When a glider (on a different path) collides with the block, it restores the boat, producing an output glider in the same direction to the input glider.
Variants
In June 2013, Ivan Fomichev found a more compact century eater to replace the constellation comprising a beehive surrounded by three eaters:
| (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here |
In November 2017, Adam P. Goucher noticed that the century eater could be replaced by a century-to-glider converter, releasing another glider.[1] By using Snarks to channel the gliders, this can be made into a gun as shown below:
| (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here |
The over-unity variant of the bistable switch has a population of 32, lower than the original variant.
Memory storage
If a glider enters the switch when it is in the wrong state, the glider merely permeates through the device without affecting it. This means that any combination of input gliders, as long as they are sufficiently separated, will not destroy the device. This gives the conduit the ability to store information:
Let the inputs be called SET and RESET. The outputs can be designated SET SUCCESS, RESET SUCCESS, SET FAILURE and RESET FAILURE. The truth table is shown below:
| Input | Current state | Next state | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| SET | 0 | 1 | SET SUCCESS |
| SET | 1 | 1 | SET FAILURE |
| RESET | 0 | 0 | RESET FAILURE |
| RESET | 1 | 0 | RESET SUCCESS |
References
- ↑ Adam P. Goucher (November 28, 2017). Herschel-less glider duplicator (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
External links
- Bistable switch at the Life Lexicon
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
