Conway’s Game of Life

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Life Lexicon

Quad pseudo

A still life that can be broken down into four stable pieces but not into two or three. This term may refer to the following 34-bit pattern, found by Gabriel Nivasch in July 2001, or any similar pattern with the same property.

Game of Life pattern ’quad_pseudo’

As a consequence of the Four-Colour Theorem, there can be no analogous objects requiring decomposition into five or more pieces. By convention, patterns like this and the triple pseudo are considered to be pseudo still lifes, not strict still lifes. As of June 2018, it has been shown that no quad pseudo patterns exist with 32 or fewer bits, but a 33-bit pattern with this property may theoretically still be found.

Game of Life Explanation

The Game of Life is not your typical computer game. It is a cellular automaton, and was invented by Cambridge mathematician John Conway.

This game became widely known when it was mentioned in an article published by Scientific American in 1970. It consists of a grid of cells which, based on a few mathematical rules, can live, die or multiply. Depending on the initial conditions, the cells form various patterns throughout the course of the game.

Rules

For a space that is populated:
Examples

Each cell with one or no neighbors dies, as if by solitude.

Each cell with four or more neighbors dies, as if by overpopulation.

Each cell with two or three neighbors survives.

For a space that is empty or unpopulated:

Each cell with three neighbors becomes populated.

More information

Video’s about the Game of Life

Stephen Hawkings The Meaning of Life (John Conway's Game of Life segment)
The rules are explained in Stephen Hawkings’ documentary The Meaning of Life
Inventing Game of Life (John Conway) - Numberphile
John Conway himself talks about the Game of Life

Interesting articles about John Conway

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