Herschel conduit
A Herschel conduit is a conduit that moves a Herschel from one place to another.
Well over a hundred simple stable Herschel conduits are currently known. As of the end of 2017, the number is approximately 130, depending on the precise definition of "simple" -- e.g., fitting inside a 100×100 bounding box, and producing output in no more than 300 ticks. In general a Herschel conduit can be called "simple" if its active reaction does not return to a Herschel stage except at its output. A description of common usage in complex circuitry, using syringes and Snarks to make compact connections, can be found in Herschel circuit.
The original universal set consisted of sixteen stable Herschel conduits, discovered between 1995 and 1998 by Dave Buckingham (DJB) and Paul Callahan (PBC); these are shown in the following table. In this table, the number in "name/steps" is the number of ticks needed to produce an output Herschel from the input Herschel. "m" tells how the Herschel is moved (R = turned right, L = turned left, B = turned back, F = unturned, x = flipped), and "dx" and "dy" give the displacement of the center cell of the Herschel (assumed to start in the orientation shown to the right).
| Name/steps | m | dx | dy | discovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R64 | R | -11 | 9 | DJB, Sep 1995 |
| Fx77 | Fx | -25 | -8 | DJB, Aug 1996 |
| L112 | L | -12 | -33 | DJB, Jul 1996 |
| F116 | F | -32 | 1 | PBC, Feb 1997 |
| F117 | F | -40 | -6 | DJB, Jul 1996 |
| Bx125 | Bx | 9 | -17 | PBC, Nov 1998 |
| Fx119 | Fx | -20 | 14 | DJB, Sep 1996 |
| Fx153 | Fx | -48 | -4 | PBC, Feb 1997 |
| L156 | L | -17 | -41 | DJB, Aug 1996 |
| Fx158 | Fx | -27 | -5 | DJB, Jul 1996 |
| F166 | F | -49 | 3 | PBC, May 1997 |
| Fx176 | Fx | -45 | 0 | PBC, Oct 1997 |
| R190 | R | -24 | 16 | DJB, Jul 1996 |
| Lx200 | Lx | -17 | -40 | PBC, Jun 1997 |
| Rx202 | Rx | -7 | 32 | DJB, May 1997 |
| Bx222 | Bx | 6 | -16 | PBC, Oct 1998 |
See also
- List of Herschel conduits
- Composite conduit
- Elementary conduit
- Herschel circuit
- Herschel loop
- Herschel transceiver
- Conduit 1
External links
- Herschel conduit at the Life Lexicon
- The Hunting of the New Herschel Conduits (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums (contains links to other useful conduit-related forum threads)