Conduit
A conduit is an arrangement of still lifes and/or oscillators that move an active object to another location without themselves being permanently damaged. The object may be transformed into a different active object in the process, but no permanent debris may be left behind. Alternatively, gliders or other spaceships may be emitted; they will either abandon the site of their creation, or can be absorbed by eaters. Probably the most important conduit is conduit 1, in which a B-heptomino is transformed into a Herschel in 59 generations.
Herschel conduits
- Main article: Herschel conduit
The most prolific stable conduits are those which rotate, reflect or translate a Herschel in a certain number of generations. Oscillators of all periods >= 58 can be built using these elementary conduits. All except the smallest stable reflectors use Herschel conduits, the counter-examples being the Snark, rectifier, and boojum reflector.
See also
- Conduits (category)
References
External links
- Conduit at the Life Lexicon
- Buckingham on B-heptominos in oscillators at Paul Callahan's Page of Conway's Life Miscellany
- Buckingham discussing stable reflectors and Herschel tracks at Paul Callahan's Page of Conway's Life Miscellany
- Stephen Silver on stable reflectors at Paul Callahan's Page of Conway's Life Miscellany
- [1] Brief summary of stable technology
- The Hunting of the New Herschel Conduits (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums (contains links to other useful conduit-related forum threads)