If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
1–10 of 14 posts
Re: If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
#2About as close to infinity many as it's possible to get.
Re: If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
#3Unless.. it's only there when you're watching!
As soon as you turn your head, the garbage collector is right there to sweep it up.
Re: If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
#4It would depend on a high number of factors, wouldn't it? You'd need to consider the possibilities of solipsism and if everything is always loaded in, or if instead things are only in existence when looked at
Re: If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
#5Unless.. it's only there when you're watching! As soon as you turn your head, the garbage collector is right there to sweep it up.
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Re: If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
#6It would depend on a high number of factors, wouldn't it? You'd need to consider the possibilities of solipsism and if everything is always loaded in, or if instead things are only in existence when looked at
Maybe the speed of light is the equivalent to how long it takes to load from storage
Re: If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
#7It would depend on a high number of factors, wouldn't it? You'd need to consider the possibilities of solipsism and if everything is always loaded in, or if instead things are only in existence when looked at
Computers have to run even when we're not looking at them, at the very least.
Re: If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
#8It would depend on a high number of factors, wouldn't it? You'd need to consider the possibilities of solipsism and if everything is always loaded in, or if instead things are only in existence when looked at
Maybe the speed of light is the equivalent to how long it takes to load from storage
That would imply the computer we are simulated on is isomorphic to the 3D universe it is simulating, i.e. that if A and B are close in the simulation, the storage for A and B are physically close in the simulator, and that the storage moves as the objects move. Otherwise the speed of light would vary from a place to another.
Re: If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
#9I was expecting to see the area of the universe / Planck units or something to that effect.
When trying to wrap my mind around it, I feel like simulation implies a sequence of events like a movie, but to an outside observer the universe would be more like an image.
Re: If the universe is a giant computer simulation, how many bits would be required?
#10I can't find it right now, but I recall some paper by Ed Fredkin that claimed that measuring fundamental physical constants indicated a 256-bit register could work.
I think the paper was in an IBM in-house technical journal.