[extropy-chat] Is Many Worlds testable?

[Eugen Leitl]

On Fri, Dec 29, 2006 at 10:48:07PM +0000, Russell Wallace wrote:

>    Perhaps not; I just doubt it can be made _that_ reversible. Basically

I agree. 

>    the idea is, once the output is recorded, rewind the computation and
>    reclaim the energy as heat. Now, theoretically nondissipating systems
>    like transformers, electric motors and generators, mechanical drive
>    trains etc, if well designed, typically have efficiency in the range
>    90-99% don't they? It seems plausible to suggest the efficiency of
>    reversible computers will be similar, which would suggest the ability
>    to process 10-100 bits per ln(2)kT energy dissipation, unless I'm
>    overlooking something?

I don't think you're overlooking anything. I just don't think it's much
of a limit on practical computation, simply because ln(2)kT is so absurdly
low it vanishes in the noise floor of biological neurons. If you still
leak 1%, that pushes things even further. 

-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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