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Notes

[Sunday 21 December 2008 - Saturday 27 December 2008]

[Notebook: DB 65 Symmetric U]

[page 32]

Sunday 21 December 2008

Force = rate of flow of momentum = ma = MLT-2
Energy = force x distance = F.s = ML2T-2
Power = rate of flow of energy = E/t = ML2T-3
Velocity = distance / time = LT-1

The contrast between traditional theology and quantum mechanics could not be greater. The former is a prison of the spirit, confining us to the tiny world of people who lived and wrote two or three thousand years ago. For theologians like Polkinghorne, these ancient manuscripts are they key to life, the Universe and everything. Polkinghorne Quantum mechanics, on the other hand, is open to everything, a modern day metaphysics which describes the network of

[page 33]

communication which has brought the Universe into being from nothing and whose creative powers can never be exhausted.

'I know that many (some people for whom I have a high regard in other matters, such as Mr Locke) hold to the doctrine of toleration' I disagree most strongly if that us taken to mean worship outside the body of the Established Church. A state can no more survive without general unity in religion than it can without common purpose in government, for to deny the Church is ultimately to deny all civil authority. It is for this reason I support the virtuous mediocrity of the Anglican settlement observances between the meretricious gaudiness of Rome and the squalid sluttery of the fanatical conventicles.' Pears, Instance, page 455. Pears

The control envisaged by Christianity emerges from an omniscient and omnipotent god. The lack of control characteristic of quantum mechanics follows from mathematical argument, what I call Chaitin's rule or the principle of requisite variety - the past cannot control the future because it lacks the requisite variety of bandwidth. Variety (cybernetics) - Wikipedia

The 'problem of evil' arises insofar as the Universe is 'full' so that old creations must often die if there is to be room for the new. The Christian idea of eternal life contradicts this to some extent (given Landauer's hypothesis), because in a given locality there may not be enough 'matter' to represent all possible spirits forever.

Monday 22 December 2008

Our worst mistake has been to think that we are too good for the Universe that created us.

[page 34]

Boltzmann's Law:

density = n = exp (- potential energy / kT )

This occurs in any network where energy and momentum are conserved and communication is by instantaneous collision.

Feynman I 40-3 '... the probability of finding molecules in a given spatial arrangement varies exponentially with the negative of the potential energy of that arrangement divided by kT'. Feynman

From Boltzmann's law to gravitation and the expansion of the Universe.

'The requirement for the determination of exactly how things evaporate, exactly how things should happen in a given circumstance, involve the following. First, to discover the correct molecular force law V(r), which must come from something else, quantum mechanics say, or experiment. But given the law of force between the molecules, to discover what a billion molecules are going to do merely consists in studying the function exp (- SUM Vij / kT ). Surprisingly enough, since it is such a simple function and such an easy idea, given the potential, the labor is enormously complicated; the difficulty is the tremendous number of variables.'

In the real world, probability theory mediates between discrete and continuous mathematics as demonstrated by quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics.

Perfect gas = no mutual attraction (only collision): in

[page 35]

physical theology: all collisions are described by an analogue of fair trade, ie conservation of energy and momentum. We may say an unfair trade involves the creation or annihilation of energy or momentum, and this is a reduction of the entropy of the Universe and a violation of the principle of stationary action.

Tuesday 23 December 2008

Jungk page 97: Houtermans: 'every decent man confronted by a totalitarian regime ought to have the pluck to commit high treason.' Jungk

Quantum mechanics = Turing + Shannon

Maybe even Quantum field theory = Turing + Shannon

The stationary features of the Universe match the stationary features of mathematics - eigenvalues.

What does the eigenvalue equation mean in computational terms?

Wednesday 24 December 2008

Religion and quantum mechanics share the trait (imposed by the theory of communication) that both define a 'straight and narrow' to which reality must in some way adhere. In quantum mechanics this restriction is expressed by the eigenvalue equation. In religion we have things like the ten commandments, which are in general constraints of human communication: thou shalt not kill, rape, lie, steal etc etc. These constraints, by making truthful

[page 36]

communication possible, are the foundations of the structure of the world.

So the question becomes how does the symmetric network model deal with the eigenvalue equation? A basic mathematical operation in quantum mechanics is the computation of inner products, ie the integration of products. This process is the foundation of the multiplication of matrices and corresponds geometrically to computing the angle between two vectors.

Thursday 25 December 2008

The Universe is pixellated on the scale of Planck's constant. We see this in the non-commutative multiplication of matrices representing conjugate observables like position and momentum.

Insight [Quantum coherence] Nature 453 7198 19 June 2008. Vedral

Roman Catholic Church on stem cells Dignitas personae. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

3D space is the result of an optimization process, since it is the simplest space that allows unlimited uninterrupted connections between any two points within it, as in computer wiring. We might call it irretrievably convex.

Friday 26 December 2008

Three rules for Technological fixes: Sarewitz and Nelson Nature 456:871 Sarewitz & Nelson

[page 37]

'I. The technology must largely embody the cause-effect relationship connecting problem to solution.

'II. The effects of the technological fix must be assessable using relatively unambiguous or uncontroversial criteria.

'III. Research and development is most likely to contribute decisively to solving a social problem when it focuses on improving a standard technological core that already exists.'

Saturday 27 December 2008

'What he had not learned from Latin or Greek he was learning from the people of New South Wales. It was this: you did not learn the language without entering into a relationship with the people who spoke it with you. His friendship with Taragan was not a list of objects, or the words for things eaten or not eaten, thrown or not thrown. It was the slow constructing of the map of a relationship.' Grenville, Lieutenant page 233. Grenville

'I cannot be part of this' page 282

Quantum mechanics is the language of the Universe. Christianity is the language of a ruling class who, like their God, will do anything, even kill, to get their way.

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Further reading

Books

Click on the "Amazon" link below each book entry to see details of a book (and possibly buy it!)

Feynman, Richard P, and Robert B Leighton et al, The Feynman Lectures on Physics (volume 1) : Mainly Mechanics, Radiation and Heat, Addison Wesley 1963 Foreword: 'This book is based on a course of lectures in introductory physics given by Prof. R P Feynman at the California Institute of Technology during the academic year 1961-62. ... The lectures constitute a major part of a fundamental revision of the introductory course, carried out over a four year period. ... The need for a basic revision arose both from the rapid development of physics in recent decades and from the fact that entering freshmen have shown a stewady incrase in mathematical ability as a result of improvements in high school mathematical course content.' 
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Grenville, Kate, The Lieutenant, Canongate Books 2009 Amazon Product Description 'As a boy, Daniel Rooke was always an outsider. At school, he learned to hide his clever thoughts from his cruel peers; at home, his parents were bemused by their bookish son. Daniel could only hope - against all the evidence - that he would one day find his place in life. By 1788, Daniel has become Lieutenant Rooke, astronomer with the First Fleet as it lands on the unknown shores of New South Wales. As the newcomers struggle to establish a settlement for themselves and their cargo of convicts, and attempts are made to communicate with those who already inhabit this land, Rooke sets up his observatory to chart the stars. But the place where they have landed will prove far more revelatory than the night sky. Out on his isolated point, Rooke comes to know the local Aboriginal people, and forges a remarkable connection with one child, which will change his life in ways he never imagine.' 
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Jungk, Robert , Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A personal history of the atomic scientists (translated by James Cleugh) , Harcourt Brace 1970 Amazon customer review: By  Amazon customer review: 'Robert Jungk went to a lot of trouble to interview as many people as possible who'd worked on the A-bomb, and produced this well written history of the Manhatten Project. It's a bit dated, but if I had to recommend three books on this subject, this would be one of them (the others would be Richard Rhode's THE MAKING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB and Lillian Hoddeson's CRITICAL ASSEMBLY). There's interesting information in here I haven't read anywhere else, and I've read over a dozen books on the Manhatten Project.' Stephen M. St Onge 
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Pears, Iain, An Instance of the Fingerpost, Random House 1997 Jacket: 'Anyone who reads this will want to tell their friends about it ... This novel combines the simple pleasures of Agatha Christie with the intellectual subtlety of Umberto Eco ... don't let it pass by unread.' Sunday Times 
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Polkinghorne, John, Quantum Physics and Theology: An Unexpected Kinship, Yale University Press 2008 Amazon Product Description 'Despite the differences of their subject matter, science and theology have a cousinly relationship, John Polkinghorne contends in his latest thought-provoking book.  From his unique perspective as both theoretical physicist and Anglican priest, Polkinghorne considers aspects of quantum physics and theology and demonstrates that the two truth-seeking enterprises are engaged in analogous rational techniques of inquiry. His exploration of the deep connections between science and theology shows with new clarity a common kinship in the search for truth.   The author identifies and explores key similarities in quantum physics and Christology. Among the many parallels he identifies are patterns of historical development in quantum physics and in Christology; wrestling with perplexities such as quantum interpretation and the problem of evil; and the drive for an overarching view in the Grand Unified Theories of physics and in Trinitarian theology. Both theology and science are propelled by a desire to understand the world through experienced reality, and Polkinghorne explains that their viewpoints are by no means mutually exclusive.' 
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Papers
Sarewitz, Daniel, Richard Nelson, "Three rules for technological fixes", Nature, 456, 7224, 18/25 December 2008, page 871 - 872. 'Not all problems yield to technology. Deciding which will and which won't should be central to setting innovation policy, . . . '. back
Vedral, Vlatko, "Qunatifying entanglement in macroscopic systems", Nature, 453, 7198, 19 June 2008, page 1004 - 1007. 'Traditionally, entangement was considered to be a quirk of tmicroscopic objects that defied a common-sense explanation. Now, however, entanglement is recognized to be ubiquitous and robust. With the realization that entanglement can occur in macroscopic systems -- and with the development of experiments aimed at exploiting this fact -- new tools are required to define and quantify entanglement beyond the original microscopic framework. '. back
Links
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Instruction Dignitas Personae on Certain Bioethical Questions 'The present Instruction is addressed to the Catholic faithful and to all who seek the truth.  It has three parts: the first recalls some anthropological, theological and ethical elements of fundamental importance; the second addresses new problems regarding procreation; the third examines new procedures involving the manipulation of embryos and the human genetic patrimony.' back
Variety (cybernetics) - Wikipedia Variety (cybernetics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 'The term Variety was introduced by W. Ross Ashby to denote the count of the total number of states of a system. The condition for dynamic stability under perturbation (or input) was described by his Law of Requisite Variety. Ashby says: Thus, if the order of occurrence is ignored, the set {c, b, c, a, c, c, a, b, c, b, b, a} which contains twelve elements, contains only three distinct elements- a, b, c. Such a set will be said to have a variety of three elements. He adds The observer and his powers of discrimination may have to be specified if the variety is to be well defined. Variety can be stated as an integer, as above, or as the logarithm to the base 2 of the number i.e. in bits.' back

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