Best GoL pattern ever discovered?
Posted: April 8th, 2013, 12:48 pm
So, as the title is saying, I'm interested to know user's personal favorite pattern in the Game Of Life. I'm only referring to the Game Of Life itself- 3/23 (or 23/3, I'm not quite sure if I should put the B first or the S first) rule, and with no unique additions (3D space, new cell states, etc.). Of course, you can refer your own patterns- I don't see anything egoistic in getting interested about your discoveries. If you want to discuss about interesting patterns and discoveries of a different rule (or rules), you are more than recommended to post a new thread about it. 
I won't make this a real contest (Like the annual "Pattern Of The Year"), but I guess I can make this a contest if people will ask for it.
So, overall, I'm trying to list my favorite patterns mostly from the uniqueness of it. Even if it's a really simple idea, and more complicated patterns of the same type have been discovered, if it's the first (or the best) of his kind, it will get included in my list.
Fifth Place- Garden Of Eden 1, found by Roger Banks in 1971.
"A Garden Of Eden is a pattern that has no parents and thus can only occur in generation 0."
This GOE is the first one ever discovered, and also one of the biggest ones. It was the first of his kind, that has a totally different effect than the other patterns! When looking at patterns in GoL, you calculate the generations forward, right? That is totally different! To find this pattern, Roger actually had to look at the generations backwards, and to develope a not-so-easy proof that you simply can't turn this pattern back to a younger generation. As it sounds simple, it can get really complicated- It made his place to the top 5.
Fourth Place- Parabolic Sawtooth, found by Dean Hickerson in 1991.
"A Sawtooth is a finite pattern whose population grows without bound but does not tend for infinity."
"Unlike most other Sawtooths, The Parabolic Sawtooth's graph of population has parabolic envelope, as opposed to linear."
A Sawtooth is a special pattern in general- I already got used to an infinite growth, but this type of pattern changes this world of growth rates. It's pretty amazing to think that this pattern can easily get to any high number you like (for the population), but together with that, its population only gets smaller. From a small start of a specific number of cells, depends on what generation are you on, you can develope it to any big number of a population that you like (before the next population reduce). As a bonus, this one serves as a unique function, and an entirely different way of calculating Sawtooth's generations.
Third Place- Gospar Glider Gun, found by Bill Gospar in 1970.
"A gun is a pattern that emits spaceships or rakes repeatedly forever."
"The Gospar Glider Gun is the first discovered gun, and the first discovered pattern that leads to infinite growth."
You have probably noticed that this pattern is the smallest and first to get discovered in my list, and actually, it was discovered only a few months after Conway first introduced the game of life. But, I have a good reason to make it to the third place. Conway himself thought that there is no possible pattern that starts from a finite population and grows without bound. But, this amazing pattern has been found- It's so small, so simple, yet, it has it's magic. When you combine oscillators with glider creators, in simple logic.. You discover a whole new world of patterns. While a lot of other patterns eventually stop growing, this is the first one to prove- The universe of options in the game is infinite!
Second Place- Gemini, found by Andrew J. Wade in 2010.
|RLE is too big to post in here. Link to the official thread, that first introduces the Gemini- viewtopic.php?f=2&t=399&start=0|
"Gemini is the first oblique spaceship to be constructed."
The Gemini is defenitly the most famous, big and loved pattern that was first introduced on this very forum. I don't think that anyone ever disagreed with this sentence. As Dave mentioned in one of his blog posts, the original purpose of the Game of Life was to find replicators, and the Gemini gets us to the closest result. While everyone thought that a spaceship can only move two the sides, or dignoally, this one proved them wrong. When using this pattern right, we might solve the game's greatest question.
First Place- Primer, found by Dean Hickerson in 1991. -Description yet to be added-
So, what are your favorite patterns?
I won't make this a real contest (Like the annual "Pattern Of The Year"), but I guess I can make this a contest if people will ask for it.
So, overall, I'm trying to list my favorite patterns mostly from the uniqueness of it. Even if it's a really simple idea, and more complicated patterns of the same type have been discovered, if it's the first (or the best) of his kind, it will get included in my list.
Fifth Place- Garden Of Eden 1, found by Roger Banks in 1971.
Code: Select all
#N Garden of Eden 1
#O Roger Banks
#C The first Garden of Eden that was explicitly constructed. Found in
#C 1971.
#C www.conwaylife.com/wiki/index.php?title=Garden_of_Eden_1
x = 33, y = 9, rule = B3/S23
33o$2obob3ob3ob2obobobobobobobobobo$obob3ob3ob4ob3obobobobobobob$5ob3o
b3ob4ob14o$obob2ob3ob3obob3obobobobobobob$4ob3ob3ob5ob2obobobobobobo$b
2ob3ob3ob3obobob13o$2ob2ob3ob3ob2ob4obobobobobobo$18ob14o!This GOE is the first one ever discovered, and also one of the biggest ones. It was the first of his kind, that has a totally different effect than the other patterns! When looking at patterns in GoL, you calculate the generations forward, right? That is totally different! To find this pattern, Roger actually had to look at the generations backwards, and to develope a not-so-easy proof that you simply can't turn this pattern back to a younger generation. As it sounds simple, it can get really complicated- It made his place to the top 5.
Fourth Place- Parabolic Sawtooth, found by Dean Hickerson in 1991.
Code: Select all
#N Parabolic sawtooth
#O Dean Hickerson
#C A sawtooth with parabolic envelope and minimum repeating population
#C that repeats in quadratic (as opposed to exponential) time.
#C www.conwaylife.com/wiki/index.php?title=Parabolic_sawtooth
x = 126, y = 144, rule = B3/S23
34b2o11b2o36b2o18b2o19b$34bo12bo37bo19bo20b6$16b2o16bo91b$16bo16b3o90b
$33b3o36b2o29bo5bo16b$72bo11b3o16b2o3b2o16b$31b2o3b2o6b2o3b2o32bo3bo
38b$31bo5bo44bo5bo16b3o18b$45bo3bo32bo5bo16b3o18b$46b3o57bo19b$46b3o
24bo10bo41b$35bo35b2ob2o7b2o41b$34bo91b$34b3o33bo5bo49b$14b5o107b$13bo
b3obo50b2o3b2o5b3o41b$14bo3bo26bo5bo30b3o41b$15b3o15bo5bo4b3o5bo28bo3b
o40b$16bo16bo5bo4b3o3b3o73b$34bo3bo41b2o3b2o20b3o6b2o8b$35b3o4b2o3b2o
57bo3bo5bo9b$42bo5bo56bo5bo14b$5b2o7bo90bo5bo14b$5bo8bo111b$13bobo110b
$12b2ob2o99b3o7b$11bo5bo98b3o7b$14bo23b2o7b2o23b2o3b2o36bo3bo6b$11b2o
3b2o20bo8bo24bo5bo47b$5bo33b3o6b3o31b2o23b2o5b2o3b2o5b$4b3o27b2o5bo8bo
4b2o16bo3bo4bo24bo18b$4b3o28bo19bo18b3o21b2o26b$35bobo5bo9bobo42bo27b$
2b2o3b2o27b2o4bobo8b2o71b$2bo5bo32bob2o81b$40b2ob2o81b$13b2o26bob2o13b
o67b$13bo9b2o17bobo12bo40bo27b$4bo15bo4b4o14bo13b3o14b2o4bobo13b2ob2o
25b$5bo13b2o2b2ob3o36b2o7bo5b2o44b$3b3o17bo37b4o4b2o10bo13bo5bo24b$61b
3ob2o2bo18bo2bo34b$66bo16b2o2b2o3bo2b2o3b2o14bo5bo3b$83bo8bo23b2o3b2o
3b$o5bo81b4o34b$o5bo111b3o5b$bo3bo21bo15bo74b3o5b$2b3o22b2o15bo74bo6b$
26bobo13b3o81b3$34bo91b$34b3o89b$37bo88b$36b2o55b2o3b2o2b2o22b$25b2o
66bo5bo2bo23b$26bo32bo9b2o51bo3b$57bobo10bo23bo3bo22b3o2b$23bo2bo31b2o
10bobo5bo16b3o22b5ob$3b2o3b2o14bo2bo43b2o3b4o39b2o3b2o$3b2o3b2o15bobo
8bo5bo34bob2o9b2o34b$4b5o17bo9bo5bo32bobob3o8bo35b$5bobo29bo3bo35bob2o
45b$25b2o11b3o35b4o32b2o12b$5b3o17bo30bo21bo33bobo11b$57b2o37b2o11b2ob
obo11b$56b2o38bo12bobobo12b$111bo14b$111b2o13b$8bo43b2o57b3o12b$7bobo
42bo23bo34b3o3b2o3b2o2b$6bo3bo63bobo34b3o3b2o3b2o2b$7b3o28b2o35b2o34b
2o5b5o3b$5b2o3b2o26bo15b2o55bo7bobo4b$54bo32b2o20bobobo12b$45b2o5bobo
32bo21b2obobo4b3o4b$44b3o5b2o19bo38bobo11b$32bo8bob2o29bo37b2o12b$32bo
bo6bo2bo27b3o51b$20b2o11bobo5bob2o81b$20bo12bo2bo7b3o79b$33bobo9b2o63b
2o7b2o5b$32bobo75bo8bo6b$32bo93b$8b2o33b2o81b$8bo34bo12b2o51b3o14b$55b
o2bo50b2o15b$47b2o6bo56b2o12b$48b2o5bo55b3o12b$47bo7bob2o51bobo13b$57b
o52b2o14b3$56b2o68b$56bo69b2$28bobo95b$28bo3bo93b$18b2o12bo10b2o81b$
18bo14bo7bo2bo21b2o42b2o14b$32bo7bo11b2o12bo43bo15b$28bo3bo7bo11bo73b$
28bobo9bo85b$41bo2bo20b3o58b$43b2o20b2o59b$68b2o56b$34bo32b3o56b$34bob
o29bobo57b$17b2o18b2o4b2o21b2o41b2o15b$19bo17b2o4bo65bo16b$20bo16b2o9b
3o23bo51b$9b2o9bo8bo4bobo13bo22b2o51b$9bo10bo9bo3bo14bo7b2o13b2o8b2o
42b$19bo8b3o26b3o11b3o8bo43b$17b2o40b2obo9b2o52b$59bo2bo10b2o51b$59b2o
bo11bo51b$50b2o5b3o66b$49bobo5b2o67b$49bo44bo31b$48b2o40b2o2b2ob3o26b$
90bo5b4o26b$86b2o6b2o30b$85bobo18b2o18b$22b2o60b3o19bo19b$24bo59b2o21b
3o16b$14b2o9bo13bo47b2o20bo16b$14bo10bo13bobo44b3o37b$25bo16b2o4b2o12b
2o62b$24bo17b2o4bo13b3o61b$22b2o18b2o9b2o9b2obo11bo6b2o38b$39bobo11bo
10bo2bo10b2o6bo39b$39bo24b2obo9b2o47b$62b3o11b3o47b$62b2o13b2o47b$78b
2o5b2o39b$79bo5bobo38b$87bo38b$87b2o!"Unlike most other Sawtooths, The Parabolic Sawtooth's graph of population has parabolic envelope, as opposed to linear."
A Sawtooth is a special pattern in general- I already got used to an infinite growth, but this type of pattern changes this world of growth rates. It's pretty amazing to think that this pattern can easily get to any high number you like (for the population), but together with that, its population only gets smaller. From a small start of a specific number of cells, depends on what generation are you on, you can develope it to any big number of a population that you like (before the next population reduce). As a bonus, this one serves as a unique function, and an entirely different way of calculating Sawtooth's generations.
Third Place- Gospar Glider Gun, found by Bill Gospar in 1970.
Code: Select all
#N Gosper glider gun
#O Bill Gosper
#C A true period 30 glider gun.
#C The first known gun and the first known finite pattern with unbounded growth.
#C www.conwaylife.com/wiki/index.php?title=Gosper_glider_gun
x = 36, y = 9, rule = B3/S23
24bo11b$22bobo11b$12b2o6b2o12b2o$11bo3bo4b2o12b2o$2o8bo5bo3b2o14b$2o8b
o3bob2o4bobo11b$10bo5bo7bo11b$11bo3bo20b$12b2o!"The Gospar Glider Gun is the first discovered gun, and the first discovered pattern that leads to infinite growth."
You have probably noticed that this pattern is the smallest and first to get discovered in my list, and actually, it was discovered only a few months after Conway first introduced the game of life. But, I have a good reason to make it to the third place. Conway himself thought that there is no possible pattern that starts from a finite population and grows without bound. But, this amazing pattern has been found- It's so small, so simple, yet, it has it's magic. When you combine oscillators with glider creators, in simple logic.. You discover a whole new world of patterns. While a lot of other patterns eventually stop growing, this is the first one to prove- The universe of options in the game is infinite!
Second Place- Gemini, found by Andrew J. Wade in 2010.
|RLE is too big to post in here. Link to the official thread, that first introduces the Gemini- viewtopic.php?f=2&t=399&start=0|
"Gemini is the first oblique spaceship to be constructed."
The Gemini is defenitly the most famous, big and loved pattern that was first introduced on this very forum. I don't think that anyone ever disagreed with this sentence. As Dave mentioned in one of his blog posts, the original purpose of the Game of Life was to find replicators, and the Gemini gets us to the closest result. While everyone thought that a spaceship can only move two the sides, or dignoally, this one proved them wrong. When using this pattern right, we might solve the game's greatest question.
First Place- Primer, found by Dean Hickerson in 1991. -Description yet to be added-
So, what are your favorite patterns?
