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A simple test of whether the Universe is a hologram (or a computer)

news.ycombinator.com

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A simple test of whether the Universe is a hologram (or a computer)

#1

Post by humanarity »

assume the speed of light (and the uncertainty principle, or the product of the Planck constant and the speed of light) is the processing speed limit of the computer which simulates the universe.

Also assume that the universe has finite computational resources. Therefore resources have to be diminished in one location when they are in in demand another location.

The simulation of a complex event, such as some highly involved, very low redundancy, fast moving and extensive event (like some kind of very large very fast collision between two highly involved structures, there are better examples) will result in significant local load on the universe computer.

Given our two assumptions above then we have a measurable result:

Ether the speed of light (or Planck constants) will be diminished in that local region, or they or their product will be diminished in another region.

If the diminishment is local (or within a testable neighbourhood) this can be tested.

If the diminishment is not in a testable neighbourhood, perhaps other experimental constructions will work.

Re: A simple test of whether the Universe is a hologram (or a computer)

#2

Post by johnloeber »

"Assume the speed of light (or ...) is the processing speed limit for the computer which simulates the universe."

Wholly unfounded assumption. If the universe is a simulation, there's no reason why any particular constant would be the processing speed limit.

Indeed, even talking about processing speed limit is probably an incoherent concept when considering the question of whether the universe is a simulation. If our universe is a simulation, then some other entity is simulating our universe. We know absolutely nothing about the world of that entity, and have no grounds to conclude or assume anything whatsoever about the machinery of the simulator.

The egregious mistake in this "test" is the implicit assumption that the machinery some entity (in a universe we know nothing about) would use to simulate our universe would be a computer of the same basic architecture as the one sitting in your bedroom.

Re: A simple test of whether the Universe is a hologram (or a computer)

#3

Post by eidyia »

johnloeber wrote: post #2

"Assume the speed of light (or ...) is the processing speed limit for the computer which simulates the universe." Wholly unfounded assumption. If the universe is a simulation, there's no reason why any particular constant would be the processing speed limit. Indeed, even talking about processing speed limit is probably an incoherent concept when considering the question of whether the universe is a simulation. If our…

As a non native english speaker, i think i have a new favorite word :D (egregious) But indeed too many assumptions I can't even understand how he mastered the courage to say this "simple test"

Re: A simple test of whether the Universe is a hologram (or a computer)

#4

Post by gendoikari »

johnloeber wrote: post #2

"Assume the speed of light (or ...) is the processing speed limit for the computer which simulates the universe." Wholly unfounded assumption. If the universe is a simulation, there's no reason why any particular constant would be the processing speed limit. Indeed, even talking about processing speed limit is probably an incoherent concept when considering the question of whether the universe is a simulation. If our…

Moreover, the simulation speed would not be related with any "speed" inside the simulation. If the processing speed decrease, the simulation will be slowed, but inside nobody would possibly notice it. If you stop the simulation, everything is stopped, anybody would be "frozen", and there's no way to detect something like that inside the simulation.

Re: A simple test of whether the Universe is a hologram (or a computer)

#5

Post by bemmu »

gendoikari wrote: post #4
johnloeber wrote: post #2

"Assume the speed of light (or ...) is the processing speed limit for the computer which simulates the universe." Wholly unfounded assumption. If the universe is a simulation, there's no reason why any particular constant would be the processing speed limit. Indeed, even talking about processing speed limit is probably an incoherent concept when considering the question of whether the universe is a simulation. If our…

Moreover, the simulation speed would not be related with any "speed" inside the simulation. If the processing speed decrease, the simulation will be slowed, but inside nobody would possibly notice it. If you stop the simulation, everything is stopped, anybody would be "frozen", and there's no way to detect something like that inside the simulation.

Exactly. Maybe to calculate one iteration of our universe normally would take a second for the "outside computer", but because of very heavy load it now takes a year. We'd be none the wiser.

Re: A simple test of whether the Universe is a hologram (or a computer)

#6

Post by Mosix1975 »

I don't think this would testable because in the region of diminished resources, time would also be diminished (slow down but not necessarily stop).

Slowing time in the diminished resource region would also slow any local observer, making his observations seem normal. If other resources are diminished that will also interfere with observation.

Einstein's work on simultaneity also prohibits a single observer from observing locally and in another region (i.e., there is no God-like view).

It appears that physics has built-in mechanism for keeping 'observers' and 'the observed' in check.

Re: A simple test of whether the Universe is a hologram (or a computer)

#8

Post by andybak »

johnloeber wrote: post #2

"Assume the speed of light (or ...) is the processing speed limit for the computer which simulates the universe." Wholly unfounded assumption. If the universe is a simulation, there's no reason why any particular constant would be the processing speed limit. Indeed, even talking about processing speed limit is probably an incoherent concept when considering the question of whether the universe is a simulation. If our…

It's possible to form a hypothesis about the nature of the machine simulating our universe. An experiment could therefore provide corroboration for that specific hypothesis.

It then becomes a case of deciding how strong the corroboration is and applying liberal slashes with Occam's Razor to see if an alternate hypothesis also fitted the results.

Re: A simple test of whether the Universe is a hologram (or a computer)

#10

Post by monk_e_boy »

I would assume the frames per second would drop, and for us being simulated we wouldn't notice. Our clocks would still read the same, no matter how 'fast' or 'slow' the simulation is running. Weather terms like fast and slow even make sense to the machine simulating us, a linear single direction timeline could be a construct they are simulating. Maybe the live in a universe with 3D time or something equally different.
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