Stable
A pattern is stable if all future generations can be predicted accurately without evolving the pattern any further (trivially, a still life fits this definition and stable is an anachronistic synonym for still life). This includes patterns which evolve to stationary ash and optional spaceships escaping to infinity on non-interacting paths.[1]
A pattern becomes stable at time T if it conforms to the above definition at time T.[1]
A pattern is unstable if it does not fit the above definition.
Pattern B (the stabilizer) is said to stabilize unstable pattern A if, when A and B are properly positioned, the resulting pattern is stable. This is known as a stabilization of A. For example, a shillelagh (B) stabilizes an unstable house (A), producing the house siamese shillelagh still life, which is a stabilzation of house.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dave Greene (August 19, 2022). Re: Thread for basic questionss (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums