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YouTube

Rebooting the Cosmos - Is the Universe the Ultimate Computer?

World Science Festival via YouTube

Overview

Explore the fascinating concept of digital physics in this thought-provoking panel discussion from the World Science Festival. Delve into the possibility that the universe itself may be a grand computer simulation, as leading experts in the field debate the merits of viewing reality through the lens of computation. Learn about the history and development of digital physics, its relationship to quantum mechanics, and its implications for our understanding of black holes, information conservation, and the nature of reality. Examine challenging questions about the origins of the universe, the role of a potential cosmic programmer, and the possibility of proving whether we live in a simulated reality. Gain insights into cutting-edge topics such as quantum computing, the NSA's interest in this technology, and how understanding the universe's "code" could revolutionize our scientific knowledge. Engage with complex ideas at the intersection of physics, computer science, and philosophy as the panelists explore how digital physics might reshape our understanding of fundamental concepts like space, time, and consciousness.

Syllabus

John Hockenberry's Introduction
Is the Universe Digital?
Participant Introductions.
Did digital physics rise because we need to define the universe as something?
Is Quantum Mechanics considered digital?
What events in the universe give us incites on being computational?
Exchanging information is more important than space time.
What is the history of the results leading to a computational universe?
Who's the programmer and wheres the computer?
Is it possible for black holes to be coded instructions to the universe?
Computers are irreversible can you build something that is reversible?
Does a reversible computer simulate the conservation of information idea?
How do we prove we are in a simulated Universe?
What is the NSA's primary goal with quantum computers?
How does knowing the code that has programmed the universe what does that get us?
Does Heisenberg's uncertainty principle make it about the particle or the information?

Taught by

World Science Festival

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