Baker's dozen

Baker's dozen
x = 23, y = 11, rule = B3/S23 2o9b2o$4obo5b2o$obo2b3o$11bo$4b2o4bobo$4bo5bo2bo4bo$11b2o4b2o2$15b3o2b obo$10b2o5bob4o$10b2o9b2o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART ]] #C [[ GPS 3 ZOOM 16 LOOP 12 ]]
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Pattern type	Oscillator
Number of cells	39
Bounding box	25 × 11
Period	12 (mod: 6)
Heat	36.3
Volatility	0.89 | 0.41
Kinetic symmetry	n.c
Discovered by	Robert Wainwright
Year of discovery	1989
Rules Outer-totalistic rules B3/S23 – B38/S2378 # of rules 23 = 8 Isotropic rules B3-ky/S23-cejk – B34ceikqy5-acik6-an7e8/S234cekqtwz5-cinr6ein78
Glider synthesis Fewest gliders 16† Catagolue-generated RLE synthesis Uploaded synthesis RLE bakersdozen_synth.rle †Can be constructed with 15 gliders using the reverse caber tosser universal constructor.
Pattern files Plaintext bakersdozen.cells RLE bakersdozen.rle
Identifiers apgcode xp12_2hqz037133zccw6q4wi6zy1oogtozy4bh8 Pentadecathlon ID 39P12.1

Baker's dozen is a period-12 oscillator consisting of a loaf hassled by two blocks and two caterers. The original form (using period-4 and period-6 oscillators to hassle) was found by Robert Wainwright in August 1989.

It can be stabilised and welded in many ways. A caterer can be used in 2 ways, one way is also suitable for the jam. A mazing would work, and two can be stabilised next to each other. Two opposite ones can be stabilised with two bookends (shown below as bookend on snake). Eater 2s also work, and the eater 2-stabilized version of this oscillator was synthesized with only 24 gliders by iNoMed.

x = 11, y = 21, rule = B3/S23 b3o$5bo$o4bo$4bo$b2o$bo$bo$bo2$4b2o3b2o$2o2bobo3bo$2o3bo$5bo$9bo$9bo$ 9bo$8b2o$6bo$5bo4bo$5bo$7b3o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART GPS 3 LOOP 12 THUMBLAUNCH THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 ZOOM 12 HEIGHT 320 ]] A 37-cell variant of baker's dozen (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here Catagolue: here

x = 38, y = 28, rule = B3/S23 24b3o$28bo$23bo4bo$8bob2ob2obo10bo$8b2obobob2o7b2o$24bo$8b3o3b3o7bo$8b o2bobo2bo7bo$10b2ob2o$27b2o3b2o$2o3b2o11b2o3b2o2bobo3bo$o3bobo2b2o3b2o 2bobo3bo3bo$5bo3b2o3b2o3bo8bo3bo$bo3bo13bo3bo8bo$31b2obo$bo3bo15bo3bo 5b2ob3o$5bo3b2o5b2o3bo15bo$o3bobo2b2o5b2o2bobo3bo4b2ob3o$2o3b2o13b2o3b 2o5bobo$32bobo$33bo$8b3o$8b3o7bo$6b2o2b3o2b2ob2o$6b2o7b4obo$6b3o10bob o$8bo9bo2bo$8bo10b2o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART GPS 3 LOOP 12 THUMBLAUNCH THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 ZOOM 12 HEIGHT 360 ]] Several ways to stabilize baker's dozen (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here Catagolue: here

In other rules

Baker's dozen can function without external supports in some isotropic non-totalistic rules suppressing B3q birth, such as B3-q/S23:

x = 11, y = 4, rule = B3-q/S23 4b2o3b2o$2obo2bo2b2o$2o2bobo$5bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 GPS 3 LOOP 12 AUTOSTART ]]

Free baker's dozen in B3-q/S23 (click above to open LifeViewer) Catagolue: here

Occurrence

An octomer variant of baker's dozen appeared semi-naturally in the following H8_1 soup submitted by siffrin normal on February 10, 2026 and first noticed 9 days later.

x = 31, y = 31, rule = B3/S23 o3b5o2b3o3b3o2b5o3bo$3bobob3o4b3o4b3obobo$2b3o3bo2b4ob4o2bo3b3o$b5o8b 3o8b5o$ob2o8bob3obo8b2obo$2obo2b4o3bo3bo3b4o2bob2o$o4b2o2b4o2bo2b4o2b 2o4bo$2o3bo2b2ob2obobob2ob2o2bo3b2o$3o2bobobobob2ob2obobobobo2b3o$bo3b 5o2b2obob2o2b5o3bo$6bo3bob7obo3bo$obo3b3o5bobo5b3o3bobo$obobob2ob2o4bo 4b2ob2obobobo$obo2bo2b3o9b3o2bo2bobo$b4o2b2ob2o2b3o2b2ob2o2b4o$bob2obo 2b2obobobobob2o2bob2obo$b4o2b2ob2o2b3o2b2ob2o2b4o$obo2bo2b3o9b3o2bo2bo bo$obobob2ob2o4bo4b2ob2obobobo$obo3b3o5bobo5b3o3bobo$6bo3bob7obo3bo$bo 3b5o2b2obob2o2b5o3bo$3o2bobobobob2ob2obobobobo2b3o$2o3bo2b2ob2obobob2o b2o2bo3b2o$o4b2o2b4o2bo2b4o2b2o4bo$2obo2b4o3bo3bo3b4o2bob2o$ob2o8bob3o bo8b2obo$b5o8b3o8b5o$2b3o3bo2b4ob4o2bo3b3o$3bobob3o4b3o4b3obobo$o3b5o 2b3o3b3o2b5o3bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]

Soup with the first semi-natural occurrence of baker's dozen (in octomer form) (click above to open LifeViewer) Catagolue: here

See also

• Twirling T-tetsons 2, whose stable form also uses the eater 2-assisted loaf spin reaction
• Popover, using the maze-assisted loaf spin reaction

External links

• Baker's dozen at the Life Lexicon
• Baker's dozen at Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue
• Baker's dozen w/ eater 2s at Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue
• Baker's dozen w/ short keys at Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue
• 39P12.1 at Heinrich Koenig's Game of Life Object Catalogs
• Baker's dozen at Wikipedia (name origin, meaning a count of 13 which is one more than the period of this oscillator)