Article View: comp.theory
Article #2169Re: What exactly is a "computational process"?
From: keith stein
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2001 16:22
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2001 16:22
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2444 bytes
"P.M." <pcm@cpugrid.net> wrote in message news:6db3f637.0108090326.95b2e64@posting.google.com... > I doubt the term "computational process" should be restricted to a > machine, no matter how loosely you define a machine. Natural systems > can perform computations. Maybe a computational process is anything > that results in a _meaningful_ state transaction, even without input > and output? But then, what is considered meaningful? I would say > random state transitions are not meaningful. > > Alternatively, maybe a computational process is anything the results > in a decrease of entropy. I hope someone else can jump in here with a > much better answer than I have attempted. Using your alternative definition, and the second law on thermodynamics, i have computed that there are exactly ZERO computational processes eh! keith stein
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X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 110d3e,618721bdbb77e65f X-Google-Attributes: gid110d3e,public X-Google-Thread: f803e,618721bdbb77e65f X-Google-Attributes: gidf803e,public X-Google-Thread: 10b271,618721bdbb77e65f X-Google-Attributes: gid10b271,public X-Google-Thread: f8362,2e65a7a5bce12512 X-Google-Attributes: gidf8362,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-08-09 09:24:46 PST Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!colt.net!newspeer.clara.net!news.clara.net!news-hub.cableinet.net!blueyonder!internal-news-hub.cableinet.net!news1.cableinet.net.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "keith stein" <ks012a2355@blueyonder.co.uk> Newsgroups: comp.theory,talk.philosophy.misc,sci.physics,bionet.info-theory References: <8cd70836.0108080113.561d74a@posting.google.com> <Se9c7.2275$e%3.199139@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com> <6db3f637.0108090326.95b2e64@posting.google.com> Subject: Re: What exactly is a "computational process"? Lines: 20 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Message-ID: <RMyc7.108700$_b4.8836676@news1.cableinet.net> Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2001 16:22:09 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 213.48.205.68 X-Complaints-To: http://www.blueyonder.co.uk/abuse X-Trace: news1.cableinet.net 997374129 213.48.205.68 (Thu, 09 Aug 2001 17:22:09 BST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2001 17:22:09 BST Organization: blueyonder (post doesn't reflect views of blueyonder)