Electronic Resource
Springer
International journal of theoretical physics
21 (1982), S. 979-992
ISSN:
1572-9575
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Abstract In order to establish close connections between physical and computational processes, it is assumed that the concepts of “state” and of “transition” are acceptable both to physicists and to computer scientists, at least in an informal way. The aim of this paper is to propose formal definitions of state and transition elements on the basis of very low level physical concepts in such a way that (1) all physically possible computations can be described as embedded in physical processes; (2) the computational aspects of physical processes can be described on a well-defined level of abstraction; (3) the gulf between the continuous models of physics and the discrete models of computer science can be bridged by simple mathematical constructs which may be given a physical interpretation; (4) a combinatorial, nonstatistical definition of “information” can be given on low levels of abstraction which may serve as a basis to derive higher-level concepts of information, e.g., by a statistical or probabilistic approach. Conceivable practical consequences are discussed.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02084163
Permalink
|
Location |
Call Number |
Expected |
Availability |