Fumarole is a period 5 oscillator that was found by Dean Hickerson in September 1989. In terms of its 18 cells it is the fourth smallest period 5 oscillator, after pseudo-barberpole, octagon 2, and Silver's p5; however, its 7×8 bounding box is the smallest of any known period 5 oscillator. The domino spark that it provides makes it useful in the construction of higher period oscillators such as the p35 beehive hassler, p40 B-heptomino shuttle, and 98P25. On September 1, 1995, Noam Elkies found a way to non-trivially combine two fumaroles and a blinker into a period 10 oscillator, shown below;[1] 4 can be combined in a similar fashion. In February 2000 Stephen Silver found a 7-glider synthesis of this oscillator.[2]
On Catagolue, it is the second most common period 5 oscillator, being less common than octagon II but more common than Elkies' p5.[3]
Image gallery
 Noam Elkies' period 10 oscillator involving two fumaroles and a blinker RLE: here |
See also
References
External links
- 18P5.1 at Heinrich Koenig's Game of Life Object Catalogs
