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What does it mean for a system to contain a complete model of itself? If I can fit all the firmware, schematics and silicon mask layouts of a laptop on that la
by tlb 7y ago
What does it mean for a system to contain a complete model of itself?
If I can fit all the firmware, schematics and silicon mask layouts of a laptop on that laptop's disk, in what sense does it not contain a complete model?
Concretely, consider that the CAD files describing a terabyte of flash are less than a terabyte, because most parts are repeated in a grid. And you can add more terabytes without increasing the size of the model noticeably. So the storage capacity of a system isn't limited to the descriptive complexity of the system. It's probably O(log N) with a huge constant. So you can have as much disk space as you like to store a model.
- joyeuse6701 7y agoMy understanding: You are containing the 'plan' or instructions to recreate or describe the system, but not the system itself. The system contains more information than what the plan can actually describe, even if you are storing duplicates in such a way as to 'reduce' it. Your plan won't be able to store, for example, the information conveyed to the nerves by touching the laptop, you may have a description, but it will only ever be a description.
- a1369209993 7y ago> You are containing [...] not the system itself. Well, sure; we're asking for a model, not a copy.