X-Message-Number: 17187
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
Subject: simulations
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 10:51:49 +0100

Message #17155
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 01:30:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: Louis Epstein <>
Subject: July 1-2 catchup posts


> > Dynamic laws of physics would make for a much more interesting
simulation
> > in my viewpoint, possibly even producing concepts that the creator of
the
> > simulation had never considered previously.
>
> Hardly fair to someone stuck inside a simulation,
> if interesting to someone examining it.

I didn't mean that the laws of physics once set could change, merely that
there is no need to formulate, for example, the laws of how sub atomic
particles behave until conscious minds in the simulation start examining
them.

On a simpler level, you can have a simulation of the solar system on a
computer that simply plots where planets are in their orbits - like an
Orrery. Or you can have the computer programmed with the laws of gravitation
and give each planet a mass and velocity and the computer calculates where
the planets are, and such calculations should agree with observed reality.
My concept was that the simulated universe would operate on the former basis
until such time as it was necessary to move to the latter. Even now, you
could program your computer with Newton's laws and get away with it for a
while, but for accuracy over long periods you would need Einstein's
equations.

Sincerely, John de Rivaz:      http://www.deRivaz.com
my homepage links to Longevity Report, Fractal Report, music, Inventors'
report, an autobio and various other projects:
http://www.geocities.com/longevityrpt
http://www.autopsychoice.com - http://www.cryonics-europe.org -
http://www.porthtowan.com

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