Try It Out

When John Conway invented the Game of Life, he used graph paper and blackboards to try it out. Personal computers and devices were not available in the ’70s.

We can try out Life in the same way.

Remember the rules of Life:

  1. If a cell is alive, it only survives when it has two or three live neighbours.
  2. If a cell is dead, it only comes alive when it has exactly three live neighbours.

The grids show how it works.

Grid 1 is the starting pattern.

Grid * shows the fate of each of the important cells.

  • The two marked ☠️ will die because they have fewer than 2 live neighbours.
  • The two marked 👶 will be ‘born’ because they have exactly three neighbours.
  • The cell marked 🧑 survives because it has two neighbours.

Grid 2 shows the result, the grid for the next generation.

Can you guess what grid 3 would look like?

And grid 4?

You may have found your first oscillator.

Try out different starting patterns with three live cells in a neighbourhood.

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