Vex

Vex
x = 13, y = 21, rule = B3/S23:T32,100 6bo$6bo$6bo5$2bo7bo$2ob2o3b2ob2o$2bo7bo2$2bo7bo$2ob2o3b2ob2o$2bo7bo5$ 6bo$6bo$6bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART ZOOM 10 GPS 10 ]]
View static image
Pattern type	Wick
Period	41
Speed	Unknown
Discovered by	Achim Flammenkamp
Year of discovery	1994
Rules Outer-totalistic rules B3/S23 only # of rules 20 = 1 Isotropic rules B3/S23 – B3/S234c5e
Pattern files Plaintext vex.cells RLE vex.rle

Vex (or simply the p41 wick) is a period-41 wick discovered by Achim Flammenkamp on August 9, 1994.

Before July 2023, there were no known period-41 oscillators. A vast number of attempts to create such an oscillator involved attempted stabilisations of this wick, with no resounding success.

Stabilisation

Vex can be stabilised by four copies of 204P41:

x = 145, y = 135, rule = B3/S23 40bo63bo$34b2o3bobo61bobo3b2o$35bo3bo2bo59bo2bo3bo$35bob2obobo59bobob 2obo$36bobobob2o57b2obobobo$31b2o4b2obobo2bo53bo2bobob2o4b2o$32bo5bob 2o2b2o53b2o2b2obo5bo$32bobo3b3o63b3o3bobo$33b2o3b2o65b2o3b2o5$33b3o73b 3o$35bo73bo$34bo75bo$57bo29bo$55b3o29b3o$40bo13bo35bo13bo$39b3o12b2o33b 2o12b3o$38bo2bo61bo2bo$38b3o9bo43bo9b3o$39bo8b3o43b3o8bo$23b2o7b2o13b 3o6bo31bo6b3o13b2o7b2o$24b2o6bobo18b3ob2o27b2ob3o18bobo6b2o$23bo9bo13b 2o2b2obo2bo29bo2bob2o2b2o13bo9bo$47b2o6b2o31b2o6b2o$47b2o2bo2bo35bo2b o2b2o$48b2o3bo37bo3b2o$49b3o41b3o$49b3o41b3o$44b2o11b2o27b2o11b2o$43b obo11bobo25bobo11bobo$13b2o28bo15bo25bo15bo28b2o$12bobo27b2o15b2o23b2o 15b2o27bobo$14bo115bo2$46bo51bo$2o15b2o27bobo47bobo27b2o15b2o$bo15bo28b 2o49b2o28bo15bo$bobo11bobo109bobo11bobo$2b2o11b2o111b2o11b2o$9b3o121b 3o$9b3o121b3o$7bo3b2o119b2o3bo$6bo2bo2b2o117b2o2bo2bo$4b2o6b2o117b2o6b 2o$3bo2bob2o2b2o13bo9bo69bo9bo13b2o2b2obo2bo$2b2ob3o18bobo6b2o71b2o6b obo18b3ob2o$4bo6b3o13b2o7b2o69b2o7b2o13b3o6bo$10b3o8bo101bo8b3o$10bo9b 3o99b3o9bo$19bo2bo99bo2bo$5b2o12b3o101b3o12b2o$6bo13bo103bo13bo$3b3o133b 3o$3bo137bo$26bo13bo31bo31bo13bo$25bo14bo31bo31bo14bo$25b3o12bo31bo31b o12b3o4$36bo7bo23bo7bo23bo7bo$35bobo5bobo21bobo5bobo21bobo5bobo$34bo3b o3bo3bo19bo3bo3bo3bo19bo3bo3bo3bo$35bobo5bobo21bobo5bobo21bobo5bobo2$ 35bobo5bobo21bobo5bobo21bobo5bobo$34bo3bo3bo3bo19bo3bo3bo3bo19bo3bo3b o3bo$35bobo5bobo21bobo5bobo21bobo5bobo$36bo7bo23bo7bo23bo7bo4$25b3o12b o31bo31bo12b3o$25bo14bo31bo31bo14bo$26bo13bo31bo31bo13bo$3bo137bo$3b3o 133b3o$6bo13bo103bo13bo$5b2o12b3o101b3o12b2o$19bo2bo99bo2bo$10bo9b3o99b 3o9bo$10b3o8bo101bo8b3o$4bo6b3o13b2o7b2o69b2o7b2o13b3o6bo$2b2ob3o18bo bo6b2o71b2o6bobo18b3ob2o$3bo2bob2o2b2o13bo9bo69bo9bo13b2o2b2obo2bo$4b 2o6b2o117b2o6b2o$6bo2bo2b2o117b2o2bo2bo$7bo3b2o119b2o3bo$9b3o121b3o$9b 3o121b3o$2b2o11b2o111b2o11b2o$bobo11bobo109bobo11bobo$bo15bo28b2o49b2o 28bo15bo$2o15b2o27bobo47bobo27b2o15b2o$46bo51bo2$14bo115bo$12bobo27b2o 15b2o23b2o15b2o27bobo$13b2o28bo15bo25bo15bo28b2o$43bobo11bobo25bobo11b obo$44b2o11b2o27b2o11b2o$49b3o41b3o$49b3o41b3o$48b2o3bo37bo3b2o$47b2o 2bo2bo35bo2bo2b2o$47b2o6b2o31b2o6b2o$23bo9bo13b2o2b2obo2bo29bo2bob2o2b 2o13bo9bo$24b2o6bobo18b3ob2o27b2ob3o18bobo6b2o$23b2o7b2o13b3o6bo31bo6b 3o13b2o7b2o$39bo8b3o43b3o8bo$38b3o9bo43bo9b3o$38bo2bo61bo2bo$39b3o12b 2o33b2o12b3o$40bo13bo35bo13bo$55b3o29b3o$57bo29bo$34bo75bo$35bo73bo$33b 3o73b3o5$33b2o3b2o65b2o3b2o$32bobo3b3o63b3o3bobo$32bo5bob2o2b2o53b2o2b 2obo5bo$31b2o4b2obobo2bo53bo2bobob2o4b2o$36bobobob2o57b2obobobo$35bob 2obobo59bobob2obo$35bo3bo2bo59bo2bo3bo$34b2o3bobo61bobo3b2o$40bo63bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ WIDTH 650 HEIGHT 600 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 4 GPS 10 AUTOSTART ]]

(click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here Catagolue: here

In March 2024 'vilc' and 'C_R_116' produced a true-period p41 stabilization of the vex wick. This was a demonstration of the newly discovered fast inserters for 2c/3 signal wires, not a structure that was really needed to stabilize vex; it contained many true period-41 glider guns, and four of those can perfectly well support the vex wick directly, without the extra complexity:

x = 93, y = 37, rule = B3/S23 bo89bo$2bo87bo$3o87b3o7$30bo31bo$29b3o29b3o$10bobo16b3o29b3o16bobo$11b 2o15b2ob2o27b2ob2o15b2o$11bo6b3o3bo2b3ob3o2bo3b3o7b3o3bo2b3ob3o2bo3b3o 6bo$17bo2bo2b2obob2ob2obob2o2bo2bo5bo2bo2b2obob2ob2obob2o2bo2bo$17bo7b o9bo7bo5bo7bo9bo7bo$17b5o4b3o3b3o4b5o5b5o4b3o3b3o4b5o$20b2obo13bob2o 11b2obo13bob2o2$20b2obo13bob2o11b2obo13bob2o$17b5o4b3o3b3o4b5o5b5o4b3o 3b3o4b5o$17bo7bo9bo7bo5bo7bo9bo7bo$17bo2bo2b2obob2ob2obob2o2bo2bo5bo2b o2b2obob2ob2obob2o2bo2bo$11bo6b3o3bo2b3ob3o2bo3b3o7b3o3bo2b3ob3o2bo3b 3o6bo$11b2o15b2ob2o27b2ob2o15b2o$10bobo16b3o29b3o16bobo$29b3o29b3o$30b o31bo7$3o87b3o$2bo87bo$bo89bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ WIDTH 650 HEIGHT 400 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 8 GPS 10 LOOP 41 ]]

(click above to open LifeViewer)

Stabilisation attempts

Before the discovery of 204P41, the only successful stabilisations of this wick came from glider streams coming from pseudo-period guns, resulting in an oscillator with an overall period of 82. Specialised rules allowing for non-vanilla Life behaviour such as StateInvestigator had permitted period-41 stabilisations.

Many, many stabilisation attempts exist where the catalyst or would-be fencepost which is used ends up only being a single cell off from its previous initial state, in such a way that it cannot function the second time round. More traditional attempts at stabilisation through the use of fishhooks do not rephase the wick correctly, leading to rapid deterioration.

Connor Steppie has suggested that completions of this wick will be named Evoker. This is a reference to the game Minecraft.

Other interactions

The vex is capable of pushing two beehives. Multiple phase offsets can be used as the beehives remain stable for a considerable length of time.

See also

• Almost knightship, another incomplete partial result