Unique father problem: Difference between revisions
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<ref name="lifelinevol6">{{CiteLifeline | <ref name="lifelinevol6">{{CiteLifeline | ||
|vol | |vol = 6 | ||
|pages = p. 1 | |pages = p. 1 | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
<ref name="post140258">{{LinkForumThread | <ref name="post140258">{{LinkForumThread | ||
|format = ref | |format = ref | ||
|title = Re: Unproven conjectures | |p = 140258 | ||
|title = Re: Unproven conjectures | |||
|author = Ilkka Törmä | |author = Ilkka Törmä | ||
|date = January 13, 2022}}</ref> | |date = January 13, 2022 | ||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="post140295">{{LinkForumThread | <ref name="post140295">{{LinkForumThread | ||
|format = ref | |format = ref | ||
|title = Re: Unproven conjectures | |p = 140295 | ||
|title = Re: Unproven conjectures | |||
|author = Oscar Cunningham | |author = Oscar Cunningham | ||
|date = January 14, 2022}}</ref> | |date = January 14, 2022 | ||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="post140294">{{LinkForumThread | <ref name="post140294">{{LinkForumThread | ||
|format = ref | |format = ref | ||
|title = Re: Unproven conjectures | |p = 140294 | ||
|title = Re: Unproven conjectures | |||
|author = | |author = dani | ||
|date = January 14, 2022}}</ref> | |date = January 14, 2022 | ||
}}</ref> | |||
</references> | </references> | ||
Revision as of 18:58, 3 January 2023
| Unique father problem | |||||||
| View static image | |||||||
| Pattern type | Problem | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of cells | 258 | ||||||
| Bounding box | 28 × 22 | ||||||
| Static symmetry | Unspecified | ||||||
| Discovered by | Ilkka Törmä Ville Salo | ||||||
| Year of discovery | 2022 | ||||||
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The unique father problem is the following question, posed by John Conway in 1972 in Lifeline Volume 6 with an associated $50 cash prize,[1] along with the grandfather problem:
- Is there a stable configuration whose only father is itself (with some fading junk some distance away not being counted)?
The problem was answered positively by Ilkka Törmä and Ville Salo on January 13, 2022, with a 22 × 28 region that must appear in all of its predecessors. This is shown in the infobox to the right, with the gray cells indicating the boundary of this region. This can be stabilized to form a 26 × 32 still life consisting of blocks and snakes with population 374, which cannot be constructed from scratch by any means.[2] Dani reduced this still life by 40 cells within the same bounding box.[3] It was further reduced by Oscar Cunningham to its provably minimum population of 306 but with a larger bounding box.[4] In particular, there is no glider synthesis for any still life that contains this region.
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See also
References
- ↑ Robert Wainwright (October 1972). Lifeline, vol 6, p. 1.
- ↑ Ilkka Törmä (January 13, 2022). Re: Unproven conjectures (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ dani (January 14, 2022). Re: Unproven conjectures (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
- ↑ Oscar Cunningham (January 14, 2022). Re: Unproven conjectures (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums
External links
- 374-cell unconstructible still life at Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue (by Ilkka Törmä)
- 306-cell unconstructible still life at Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue (by Oscar Cunningham)
- Adam P. Goucher. 29-year-old Conway conjecture settled. January 14, 2022.