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posted by mrpg on Thursday October 05 2017, @02:26AM   Printer-friendly
from the that's-what-we-want-you-to-think dept.

Physicists have "confirmed" that we "aren't" "living" in a computer "simulation":

Scientists have discovered that it's impossible to model the physics of our universe on even the biggest computer.

What that means is that we're probably not living in a computer simulation.

Theoretical physicists Zohar Ringel and Dmitry Kovrizhin from the University of Oxford and the Hebrew University in Israel applied Monte Carlo simulations (computations used to generate probabilities) to quantum objects moving through various dimensions and found that classical systems cannot create the mathematics necessary to describe quantum systems. They showed this by proving that classical physics can't erase the sign problem, a particular quirk of quantum Monte Carlo simulations of gravitational anomalies (like warped spacetime, except in this case the researchers used an analogue from condensed matter physics).

Therefore, according to Ringel and Kovrizhin, classical computers most certainly aren't controlling our universe.

Which type of computers are we being simulated on?

Also at Newsweek.

Quantized gravitational responses, the sign problem, and quantum complexity (open, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701758) (DX)


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  • (Score: 2) by Arik on Thursday October 05 2017, @03:25AM

    by Arik (4543) on Thursday October 05 2017, @03:25AM (#577298) Journal
    You're right, but just to be contrary I will point out that this works much better as a proof that the scenario in "the Matrix' cannot be correct than it does if judged against a broader range of somewhat similar scenarios.

    In 'the Matrix' the story as I recall it was an alternate history earth that only splits quite late - using "normal" existing computer systems. That specific scenario was always far-fetched to put it very politely, but yeah, if you needed any more evidence against it, then this would work.

    Except for the fact that if it's true, then this study is clearly just more disinformation.
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