ICCS06/Ed Fredkin
From NECSIWiki
Ed Fredkin
Carnegie Mellon University
ICCS Presentation Title: Finite Nature
An open philosophical question concerns the mathematics of our physical world. “Are microscopic space, time and state continuous or discrete?” If we assume discrete (the Finite Nature assumption), then it makes sense to imagine that the discrete space-time-state processes underlying physics can be described by Automata Theory. Finite Nature implies that the laws of physics, from Quantum Mechanics to Relativity, ought to arise from some kind of computer-like process. We don’t normally imagine that computer science has anything to say about philosophy or physics.
This talk will focus on a family of 3+1 Dimensional Cellular Automata called “Salt.” Salt systems illustrate how automata might be imbued with some of the properties of physics that are described so well by analytic functions. In particular we will explain how very simple discrete microscopic processes can be designed so that, in the large scale, they exhibit continuous symmetries.
