Symmetrica / Other Patterns

This page is for patterns that don’t fit into any major category, such as sparks, methuselahs, and induction coils.

Beehive spark

  • Common 12-cell spark

The pattern known as beehive in the Game of Life creates a beehive spark ater 5 generations. Other ancestors of the beehive spark include the J-tetromino and the U-pentomino.

Tub spark

  • Common 8-cell spark

The pattern known as tub in the Game of Life creates a tub spark after 4 generations. Other ancestors of the tub spark include the boat and the X-pentomino.

Tango

  • 3-cell methuselah
  • Stabilizes at generation 290
  • Debris: 4 blocks, 3 blinkers, 2 flares, 2 victories
  • Descendants include the T-tetromino and the T-pentomino (both of which are also referred to as “tango”)

A spaceship or puffer is said to be “powered by a tango” if it has a T-tetromino at its fore in any of its phases. Examples include the sea urchin, the goalpost, and the byzantine.

Chip

  • 3-cell induction coil
  • Evolves into a block if not stabilized
  • Found in steeple and carrier
  • The majority of distinct still lifes listed on Catagolue contain at least one chip

Table

  • 8-cell induction coil
  • Named after an identical object from the Game of Life
  • Evolves into a shell if not stabilized

The table can be stabilized by a block, a flare, or a chip.

Dot fuse

  • Lightspeed diagonal fuse
  • Can be stabilized by a chip or a flare

Two variants of the dot fuse are shown below: blinker puller (left) and wildfire (right).

An example of transmitting information with a blinker puller fuse:

Chicken wire superstring

Impenetrable wall

  • What it sounds like
  • Impossible in the Game of Life

The wall can be thickened by tugboats in a remarkable reaction:

This reaction creates a period-12 oscillator:

World serpent

  • Infinitely long c/3 “spaceship”
  • Front end, but no back end — instead, repeats indefinitely
  • Two variations shown