What to watch
- It expands slowly before producing a much larger cloud.
- The population curve rises and falls many times.
- It needs a roomy board to avoid clipping the natural evolution.
Methuselahs
Acorn
A seven-cell seed with a famously long chaotic evolution.
Acorn is one of the most studied small methuselahs because its seven-cell beginning produces a large reaction field that stabilizes with 633 cells and 13 escaping gliders.
Acorn has a 7 x 3 bounding box
Acorn begins with seven live cells in a 7 x 3 bounding box. It is a long-running methuselah with a 5,206-generation lifespan and a final population of 633 cells, so it needs more room than its tiny seed suggests.
Methuselahs7 cells7 x 3 box5,206 generations lifespanfinal: 633 cells, including 13 gliders
- Category
- Methuselahs
- Period
- Long-lived seed
- Movement
- bounded
- Population
- 7 cells
- Bounding box
- 7 x 3
- Lifespan
- 5,206 generations
- Final state
- 633 cells, including 13 gliders
- Known since
- 1971
How to use it
Use it for long-run demonstrations and population history discussions.
Explore the complete 3×3 seed experiment
Open the pattern in the lab, reduce the speed, and use single-step mode when a phase change is hard to see. The green preview marks births in the next generation; red outlines mark live cells that will die.
Fast answers
Common questions about Acorn
What is Acorn's bounding box?
The standard Acorn seed fits in a 7 x 3 bounding box and contains seven live cells.
How long does Acorn last in Conway Life?
Acorn has a lifespan of 5,206 generations and stabilizes with a final population of 633 cells, including 13 gliders.
Why does Acorn need a large board?
Its tiny seed expands into a broad reaction field. A cramped board changes the result by clipping debris near the boundary.
Next experiments
Compare nearby patterns
Move between similar structures to see which facts change: box size, lifespan, extinction, motion, and final ash.
R-pentomino
A five-cell seed that takes over one thousand generations to stabilize.
- Size
- 3 x 3
- Lifespan
- 1,103 generations
Diehard
A small pattern famous for eventually vanishing completely.
- Size
- 8 x 3
- Lifespan
- 130 generations
Edna
A 149-cell methuselah that pushed automated soup lifespans past 31,000 generations.
- Size
- 20 x 20
- Lifespan
- 31,192 generations
B-heptomino
A common seven-cell methuselah that produces a Herschel during its evolution.
- Size
- 4 x 3
- Lifespan
- 148 generations