Symmetrica / Oscillators
The ten most common oscillators are:
The lowest period for which no oscillator is known is 25.
Flare
- Period-2 phoenix
- Most common oscillator
- 2nd most common object, after the block
- Smallest object by population
Blinker
- Period-2 oscillator
- 2nd most common oscillator
- Named after an identical object from the Game of Life
Some interesting blinker-tugboat collisions:
Double flare
- Period-2 phoenix consisting of two out-of-phase flares
- 9th most common oscillator
Bowtie
- Period-2 phoenix consisting of two in-phase flares
- One phase contains an extra dot
- 10th most common oscillator
Quartet
- Period-3 oscillator consisting of four blocks
- Most common period-3 oscillator
- 6th most common oscillator
A 5-cell long diagonal line results in a quartet.
Insect
- Period-3 oscillator generated by two shells
Beacon
- Period-4 oscillator consisting of two blocks
- Most common period-4 oscillator
- 5th most common oscillator
- Named after a similar pattern from the Game of Life
Flint and steel
- Period-4 oscillator consisting of a flare and a block
- 7th most common oscillator
Dinner
- Period-4 oscillator consisting of a block and a table
- 8th most common oscillator
Shellshock
- Rare period-4 oscillator in which a shell hassles a tango
Despite its rarity, the shellshock was discovered very early on in the history of Symmetrica by chance experimentation.
Staircase
- Period-5 oscillator generated by a shell and a block
- Most common period-5 oscillator
Boron
Shuffler
- Period-6 oscillator stabilized by two shells
- Formerly known as “big insect”
- Most common period-6 oscillator
Pinwheel
- Period-8 statorless oscillator
- Only known oscillator whose mod is a quarter of its period
- Most common period-8 oscillator
- 3rd most common oscillator
Some interesting pinwheel-tugboat collisions:
Boomerang
- Period-8 oscillator generated by two blocks and a blinker
- Two variants: cis boomerang (left) and trans boomerang (right)
Moose
- Period-9 oscillator in which two blocks hassle a shell predecessor
- Most common period-9 oscillator
- Three variants are shown
Nova
- Period-10 statorless oscillator made of two self-perpetuating beehive sparks
- Most common period-10 oscillator
Boomerang p12
- Period-12 oscillator in which four blocks hassle a blinker
- Formerly known as “double boomerang”
- Most common period-12 oscillator
Shellshock p19
- Period-19 oscillator generated by a shell and a beehive spark
Victory
- Period-20 statorless oscillator
- 4th most common oscillator
Some interesting victory-tugboat collisions:
A remarkable period-102 oscillator consisting of four blocks hassling two victories:
Beekeeper
- Period-23 oscillator
- Produces beehive sparks (hence the name)
- The three most common stator variants are shown
Marathon
- Period-262 oscillator
- Produces highly accessible beehive sparks
- Highest-period oscillator known (excluding LCMs)
The marathon is one of the only patterns known to be capable of reflecting tugboats.
It can be generated by four blocks and two tangos, or by six blocks and a beehive: