Re: Complexity
Arthur V. Chadwick (chadwicka@swac.edu)
Fri, 12 Jan 1996 11:09:50 -0800Burgy writes:
>Assume Dr. Gish weighs 150 pounds. Consider five objects:
>
>1. Dr. Gish
>2. A dolphin
>3. A motorcycle
>4. A mass of protozoa
>5. A tub of seawater
>
>Assume all five objects weigh the same. They all have the same
>number of elemental particles making them up -- about 10^30 or so.
>
>Now we can SPECIFY EXACTLY each of the five objects ONLY by
>specifying exactle each of the positions and velocities of each of
>the 10^30 elemental particles. Six measurements for each, relative to
>an XYZ grid. 6 x 10^30 measurements in all -- for each one.
>
>But it takes exactly the same number of measurements to specify
>each one! Are they therefore all of the same "specified complexity?"
>I think not. But I do have a measure which suggests that!
>
>If I knew an anser to all this, I'd certainly tell somebody.
>But the answer -- for me -- must be quantitative. It must
>specify a procedure for measure. I've never seen one.
Any of 10^30 measurements will do for the seawater. Any of 10^25 will do
for a motorcycle. Any of 10^20 will do for the mass of protozoa. Any of
10^25 will do for the dolphin, but only one in 10^30 will do for Dr. Gish.
Don't ask me to justify my numbers.
Art
http://chadwicka.swac.edu