Uh, let's take an example: Mars gets a force from the gravity of the earth. That force has magnitude and direction so is a vector. Mars also gets such a vector from each of the Sun, Jupiter, Andromeda, dark matter, .... Then to determine the direction Mars will go, have to add all those vectors with the current value of the Mars momentum vector. Soooo. the universe adds vectors, that is, does computation. Done?
This makes me wonder something. When I’m computing values in code I’ve written, the inputs and outputs are very quantifiable and the steps between them are too. There is a start and end to every part of the process.
In the universe, how are the inputs and outputs divided into discreet units and states in which computation can occur? I know the universe isn’t running on a chip (wait… No I don’t), but what I’m unsure of here is how, or even if, the state of things in the universe is ever determined in order to be “computed” such that it can transition to the next state in which it has been acted upon again by the inputs around it.
Perhaps it’s the wrong analogy. I don’t understand though how computations can work with a fluid rather than clearly sliceable and unitized parameters you find in current computing technologies. Or is the universe actually able to broken down into frames of time?
I suppose if you don’t think you need to compute in discreet steps then the question doesn’t make sense. It’s taking the analogy too literally. I struggle not to, though. What is computation if it can’t be proven or reversible at any stage?
A related concern, issue: Write a program to simulate the whole universe in full and fine detail.
We would likely do this work in time steps, i.e., some version of discrete time.
So, in the simulation there would be a timing, time synchronization, etc. issue: In simple terms would have to update the whole universe, the whole state, FULLY at each single step before could start the next step.
Or if don't write just one program, and instead have some string theory where everything is made of elementary strings, each string has its own clock, supply of energy, momentum, charge, mass, etc. That's a lot of clocks and makes the strings not very elementary.
This system would also need to account for special relativity. Is that possible if using discreet time? Maybe it is if you can eventually reconcile all frames of reference… But I’m not sure how you’d compute all frames of reference at once since they… Well, kind of happen on different timelines, so to speak. Though I could be misunderstanding how special relativity works in relation to some kind of universal state tracking system which uses discreet time units as its timeline.
