Here are some answers to the questions posed in the classroom activity on the game of life.

• Diagonal lines of any length always die out.
• Examples of simple initial patterns that always remain the same are the block of four, the "beehive" and the "loaf".
  

  From left to right: the block of four, the beehive and the loaf.

• Example of patterns that oscillate with aperiod two are the "blinker", the "toad" and the "beacon".
  

  From left to right: blinker, the toad and the beacon.

• Generally, it appears that patterns eventually settle down on some "stable" configuration with components that oscillate between a small number of patterns. Few initial configurations die out. Sub-components tend to develop some symmetry which does not disappear.