Max is a spacefiller that was found by Tim Coe[1] in October 1995 that fills the plane with zebra stripes. In terms of its 187 cells, it was formerly tied with spacefiller 2 as the smallest known spacefiller, and in terms of its 27×27 bounding box it was the outright smallest for many years.[2]
In February 2020, Alex Greason and Adam P. Goucher found 26×26 and 25×25 predecessors to Max that improved on the bounding box at the cost of increased population.[3][4] In April, Mateusz Naściszewski found a 25×25 predecessor with a population of only 215,[5] as well as a Max variant with a 27×27 bounding box but a population of only 183 cells.[6]
Alternatively, the term Max may be used to describe whatever the smallest-known spacefiller is at the current time. The term represents the fact that the growth rate is the fastest possible of any pattern in Conway's Game of Life.[7]
