Reflector (cellular automaton)
 | This article does not cite any reliable sources. Reliable sources are necessary to demonstrate that a particular subject is notable enough to warrant an article. (June 2025) |
In cellular automata such as Conway's Game of Life, a reflector is a pattern that can interact with a spaceship to change its direction of motion, without damage to the reflector pattern. In Life, many oscillators can reflect the glider; there also exist stable reflectors composed of still life patterns that, when they interact with a glider, reflect the glider and return to their stable state.
Types
[edit]As well as whether a reflector is a still life or an oscillator, a reflector might be characterised by the angle between the input and output spaceships (for example a 180° reflector would flip a spaceship). For most[a] spaceships, this can only be 0°, 90°, or 180°. Another property is whether the reflector is colour preserving. That is, if it doesn't change the state of a spaceship as it gets reflected. If a reflector isn't colour preserving, it's known as colour changing.[1]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Orthogonal and diagonal ships
References
[edit]- ^ "Reflector". LifeWiki - ConwayLife.com. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ "Buckaroo". LifeWiki - ConwayLife.com. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
External links
[edit]- New stable 180-degree glider reflector, Game of Life News, May 30, 2009
- New stable 90-degree glider reflector, Game of Life News, May 29, 2013
 | This computer science article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |