Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: Bill S on 06/12/2016 11:29:46
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One often meets the statement: "Information is physical." Is this correct, or is it the processing of information that is physical?
In other words, is it the processing of information that increases entropy?
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One often meets the statement: "Information is physical." Is this correct, or is it the processing of information that is physical?
In other words, is it the processing of information that increases entropy?
No. There's nothing physical about energy only the medium that it's stored on has a physical exisitance. But those are two different things.
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Thanks Pete, that's what I thought, but 3 weeks in hospital have given me some time for reading, and the idea that information is physically real is something I've met in a few places, and find bothersome.
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No. There's nothing physical about energy only the medium that it's stored on has a physical exisitance. But those are two different things.
Did you confuse energy and information? Do you agree that this Universe is an omniscient quantum computer?
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One often meets the statement: "Information is physical." Is this correct, or is it the processing of information that is physical?
In other words, is it the processing of information that increases entropy?
In a perfectly efficient computer, you can process information without increasing entropy provided you retain the information.
It's discarding information to the environment that increases entropy.
I think current computers' efficiency is roughly equivalent to a car that travels about 10feet/gallon....