Complexity in physics
- From: "Anders" <anders_lindman@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 8 Feb 2006 22:12:49 -0800
Complexity can perhaps be modelled as information. But what makes
information complex? Information is dependent on a context. What looks
like a string of random bits to one person may contain valuable
encrypted information to another person. For a complete definition of
complexity, the context we must use is the entire universe at a certain
point in time (universal context). Therefore, in the example of an
encrypted string of seemingly random bits this string represents
complexity when the decrypted information has meaning at least in some
part of the universal context.
A string of bits containing for example digitized white noise has no or
very little complexity, because it represents no or very little
valuable information in the universal context. If this random bit
string is used for example as an encryption key for some other valuable
information, then the random string suddenly is related to meaning
within the universal context and then its complexity increases.
Therefore it is not possible to determine the complexity for any given
amount of information without its relation to the universal context.
We can also see that an encrypted string of bits and the encryption key
are dependent on each other in order to form complexity. Complexity is
somehow information that has a relation to other information.
Complexity also seemingly form a hierarchy of information where
information higher up in the hierarchy is more complex than information
at lower levels in the hierarchy. To find a definite metric for
complexity in the form of information is probably very difficult. Yet
we can see in nature that such hierarchies exists, such as molecules
containing atoms, but atoms do not contain molecules. One such
hierarchy of complexity is a mechanical watch. The parts of the watch
are less complex than the whole watch put together, and the whole watch
is therefore on a higher hierarchical level of complexity than its
parts.
Another such hierarchy is subatomic particles that are parts of atoms
which are parts of molecules which are parts of single-celled organisms
which are parts of multi-celled organisms. Even language forms a
hierarchy of complexity where words are parts of sentences, but
sentences are not part of words. Single letters are parts of words
which are parts of sentences which are parts of paragraphs and so on.
Maybe complexity must be brought into the picture of physics to make it
complete. What if the three dimensions of space are the most basic
hierarchical level of complexity but time the highest hierarchical
level of complexity in existence? The reason for this to perhaps be
true is that the arrow of time seems to be directly related to the
evolution of the universe, and that evolution has seemingly created
ever higher hierarchical levels of complexity. For example atoms formed
before molecules which formed before single-celled organisms.
It could be that the arrow of time is the same as the arrow of
increased complexity.
al.
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: Complexity in physics
- From: Anders
- Re: Complexity in physics
- Prev by Date: Re: Monkey Science
- Next by Date: Re: Algebraic Geometry and Algebraic Topology in Physics Pro-and-Con Critique 5: The Atiyah-Jaffe Controversy
- Previous by thread: unit vector of a length(position vector) graphed in length based axes?
- Next by thread: Re: Complexity in physics
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
