= = = 34 LIFE = = =
Site by Jack Eisenmann
= 34 LIFE TERMINOLOGY =
This is an alphabetically organized list of common words and terms used on this site. I have invented some strange naming conventions for 34 life, while trying to keep it logical. I have also borrowed many terms from Conway's game of life.
34 Life- A particular rule set for the game of life, in which a cell lives only when it has 3 or 4 neighbors. This rule is called 34/34 (cells survive with 3 or 4 neighbors, and are born with 3 or 4 neighbors). Unlike Conway's game of life, 34 life is much less explored. I find it more interesting than traditional life, because I can find things which no people have seen before (or very few).
Alien- A synthetic p3/4 oscillator which has a UFO appearance. There are Open Aliens, Semi Aliens, and Broken Alien. The Normal alien is shown below:
.....OO
..OOOOO
.OOOOO.
.OO.OO.
.OOOOO.
OOOOO..
OO.....
Blinker- A genre of objects in 34 life characterized by their "T" or lined shape. Blinkers are named after their Conway counter-part, which looks similar. There are many varieties, including Semi Blinkers, Double Semi Blinkers, Super Blinkers, Titan Blinkers, etc. The normal Blinker has been proven to be the most common oscillator of all. A Blinker and Semi Blinker are shown below:
..O...
OOO...
..O...
......
....O.
..O.O.
....O.
C (Speed of light)- C is the fastest speed at which any reaction can propagate in 34 life and any life simulation. C is 1 cell per generation. The fastest ship moves at c/2 (half of c); this means that every 2 generations it moves 1 cell.
Cell- The smallest unit of space in 34 life. A cell can have either a living or dead state. For each generation, a cell will live ONLY if it had 3 or 4 neighbors during the last generation (hence the name, 34 life). Otherwise, it dies. The behavior which emerges from these simple rules are very interesting, and in some cases can be considered beautiful. In this site, cells are represented by either a "." (dead) or "O" (live).
Chain- An object which can be extended infinitely, and repeats itself after a certain number of generations. There are ways to bend or branch various chains. Below is a naturally occurring chain:
.O.O.O.O.O.O.
.O.O.O.O.O.O.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Diamond- A kind of p3 oscillator with a very high degree of symmetry. This includes Diamonds, Super Diamonds, and Frog Diamonds. Below is a normal diamond:
..O..
.O.O.
O...O
.O.O.
..O..
Duck- A group of oscillators which are recognized by their distinctive head and mouth. This includes Semi Ducks, Super Ducks, Titan Ducks, and more. Ducks are the second most common oscillator, next to Blinkers. A Duck and Super Duck are shown below. Note that both of their "heads" are on the top right:
.O.........
..OO....O..
OOO......OO
..O...OO.O.
.......OOO.
.......O...
Explosion- 34 life is on the edge of being an explosive universe. This means that many starting states of cells will result in an infinitely exploding mess of chaos. The explosion is an undulating, ever growing mass, which is shaped like a diamond once it grows to immense sizes. The explosions were not apparent to people until computer came along. Despite this fact, 34 life is still filled with many interesting objects.
Flower- A kind of oscillator which has a distinctive "L"-shaped head. There are several varieties, including Super Flower, Titan Flower, and Double Flower. The normal Flower, which is found naturally, is shown below. Note the "head" on top which extends diagonally outward:
.O.
.OO
O..
OOO
Frog- A synthetic oscillator which is known to be extendible, and can even be looped to form a still life. They are characterized by their 2 pairs of legs and body. There are various kinds of Frogs. Shown below is a normal Frog with a Semi Frog:
OO.OO
.OOO.
O...O
.OOO.
OO.OO
.....
.....
OO.O.
.OOOO
O....
.OOOO
OO.O.
Generation- The smallest unit of time in 34 life. Cells interact with one another between generations.
Gesturing- Describes an object which has a special extension. Below is an example of a Tulip next to a Gesturing Tulip:
.O.O....O.O..
OO.O...OO.O..
..O.O....O.OO
..OOO....OO..
Glider- A group of small objects which repeat after a certain number of generations, except in a different place. Gliders move indefinitely until they hit something (and these collisions produce many results). Compare with ships. See "C" for speed. Below is the normal glider, before and after 3 generations:
.O...
O.OO.
O.OO.
.O...
..O..
.O.OO
.O.OO
..O..
Mouse- An oscillator which has a point and a small base (unlike a Tack, which has a larger base). Examples of Mice include Double Mice, Doormice, Long Doormice, and Mouse Semi Blinkers. A normal Mouse, which can be produced naturally, is shown below with a doormouse:
........O..
........O..
.......O.OO
..OO....OO.
OO.O...OO.O
..OO.....O.
.........O
Natural- Even though 34 life itself is not "natural", many objects contained within it are considered to be natural. This means that they can be found without explicitly drawing or searching for them.
Nebula- A genre of synthetic p4 oscillators which have a high degree of symmetry and round shape. There are Open Nebulae, Super Nebulae, and Titan Nebulae. The normal Nebula is below:
...O.O...
.OOO.OOO.
.O.O.O.O.
OOOO.OOOO
....O....
OOOO.OOOO
.O.O.O.O.
.OOO.OOO.
...O.O...
Open- A word which describes a variation of an oscillator which contains an open section. A Duck and an Open Duck are shown below:
..O.....O.O..
O.O...O.O.OOO
.OOO...OO.O..
.O.....O.O.O.
Oscillator- A pattern of cells which repeats after a certain number of generations. All oscillators have a certain period. The most common period for an oscillator is p2. Other periods found are p3, p4, p6, p8, and p12. Still life objects are technically p1 oscillators. It would be VERY nice to find oscillators of other periods, but they prove to be very elusive. Below is the most common oscillator, the blinker. It switches between these 2 states:
..O.
OOO.
..O.
.O..
.OOO
.O..
P (Period)- This refers to the amount of generations it takes for an oscillator to return to its original state. For instance, a duck takes 2 periods, therefore it is considered "p2". It switches between these 2 states:
.O..
..OO
OOO.
..O.
..O.
O.O.
.OOO
.O..
Semi- A word that describes a variation of an object. It usually means that it has less cells than the original, or is only partially the original object.
Ship- A large object which repeats itself in a different place after a certain number of generations. Ships are very complex and some are quite beautiful. One of them can even produce an infinitely long chain.
Soup- A random starting state for the universe, similar to the big bang. All cells are randomly on or off. Soups are a good way to find naturally occurring objects and their frequencies. Soups can be of various sizes and densities. Some objects, however, are extremely unlikely to appear in random soups. These are found using search programs.
Still life- A very rare kind of object which does not change between generations, and hence stays still. Still life objects are erie in 34 life, considering that most things tend to wiggle or explode. The only object I have found naturally is the block, shown below. Other objects are found via search programs.
OO
OO
Super- A word used to describe a variation of an object which is larger than the original. Compare with titan.
Synthetic- An object is called synthetic if it is engineered of produced by means of a program. Compare with natural.
Tack- An oscillator characterized by its base and point. There are several variations, including Long Tack, Semi Tack, and Super Tack. Shown below is a Tack with a Semi Tack:
.OOO........
.O.O.....O..
OO.OO..OO.OO
..O.....O.O.
........O.O.
Titan- Describes an object which is much larger than the original. Titan objects tend to be huge and complex.
Tulip- A large collection of synthetic oscillators which contain both a point and an "L" shaped head, similar to that of a Flower. Below is a picture of the normal Tulip:
.O.O.
OO.O.
..O.O
..OOO
Umbrella- A large still life which is round and with a box in the center. Umbrellas can be extended, or can provide hubs for Frog Chains. The normal Umbrella is below:
..OO.OO.
.O.OOO.O
O.O...OO
OO.OO.O.
.O.OO.OO
OO...O.O
O.OOO.O.
.OO.OO..
