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Physics and computation

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Abstract

Computing processes are ultimately abstractions of physical processes; thus, a comprehensive theory of computation must reflect in a stylized way aspects of the underlying physical world. On the other hand, physics itself may draw fresh insights and productive methodological tools from looking at the world as an ongoing computation. The terminformation mechanics seems appropriate for this unified approach to physics and computation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MIT Laboratory for Computer Science, 545 Technology Square, 02139, Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Tommaso Toffoli

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  1. Tommaso Toffoli
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Additional information

This research was supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense and was monitored by the Office of Naval Research under Contract No. N00014-75-C-0661.

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Toffoli, T. Physics and computation. Int J Theor Phys 21, 165–175 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01857724

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01857724

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