3 ms·
Many gliders move at the theoretical maximum rate on the Life board, so it won’t be possible to catch them.
by iainmerrick 9y ago
Many gliders move at the theoretical maximum rate on the Life board, so it won’t be possible to catch them.
- darkmighty 9y agoI believe c/4 is indeed the fastest possible diagonal speed for a spaceship, does anyone know if a proof exists?
- dvgrn 9y agoYes, there's a fairly simple proof, specific to the B3/S23 Life rule, not true for all similar CA rules. Unfortunately this comment box is too small to contain it... and the proof only applies to structures traveling through empty space. If you're allowed to have pre-existing live cells ahead of the glider, there are known "wires" that transmit information diagonally at 2c/3, easily fast enough to get ahead of a glider and stop it.
- OscarCunningham 9y agoThis blog post has a explanation of the proof. http://www.njohnston.ca/2009/10/spaceship-speed-limits-in-life-like-cellular-automata/ http://www.njohnston.ca/2009/10/spaceship-speed-limits-in-li...