If you knew everything about the past and present, could you use that information to predict the future? Basically what I'm asking is that are any actually randomness in the universe, or do we just see it as random because we can not collect enough data to understand it? Please explain your answer.
2007-08-27 17:05:09 · 12 answers · asked by ☢☠☣☢☠☣ 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
If a person knew the exact positions and velocities of every particle in the universe, and the absolutely correct equations governing the them, then theoretically one could predict the exact condition of the universe at any future point in time. There are three problems with this, however, one direct, and two indirect.
The first problem you encounter is the heisenberg uncertainty principle, which states that the product of standard deviations for position and velocity must be at least h_bar/2, where h_bar is the reduced planck constant. In a nutshell, this means that you can never know the exact position or momentum (velocity) of a particle. The more precise your position measurement, the less precise your velocity measurement.
The second problem with this theory is the quantum information limit. If one wanted to store, say, the present state of an electron, this might take up at least 4 bytes in a computer. Those 4 bytes are stored in a part of a RAM chip, which cumulatively takes up, say, 4 million atoms. This ratio, then, would require multiple millions of universes to even store the current universe state, let alone do any calculations on it. Even with the most efficient storage medium, matter itself, we are still limited by the quantum information limit, in which case the universe's data would be stored as an exact replica of the universe. Needless to say, this would still be very difficult to perform any operations on.
The more 'out-there' problem with this theory is that if you did know the positions and velocities of every particle in the universe, then any calculation method for prediction would inherently be part of the prediction itself. This leads to a circular paradox, because you must end up calculating your calculation. The only way around this would be to ignore the space the calculation is using (ie a supercomputer), which would inevitably alter the outcome of the prediction.
2007-08-27 18:08:34 · answer #1 · answered by MooseBoys 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
According to quantum mechanics, there is always a degree of randomness that can not be predicted, so the answer is no. Some people have thought that there is an underlying causal principle (theory of hidden variables) that would, if you understood it, allow you to predict the results of any experiment. In other words, quantum mechanics only appears to have an element of randomness because one doesn't understand enough. However, I believe this has been disproved - there is no underlying causal principle.
On a philosophical basis, if there was an omniscient God and you thought that he could predict everything, there would be no free will. If you believe in free will, then you cannot predict the future. If you do not believe in free will, then you are not responsible for your actions, no matter how heinous they may be - God made you do them.
When somebody asked Isaac Bashevitz Singer if he believed in free will, he said "I must".
2007-08-28 01:18:57 · answer #2 · answered by JeffT 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aside from divine revelation, the past and present are the best indicators of the future since many things that happen fit into some type of pattern. There seems to be a lot of randomness in the universe but we can recognize many patterns. I beleive that if we had complete knowledge of the past and present we could predict the future with enough accuracy to become obscenely wealthy.
2007-08-28 00:15:07 · answer #3 · answered by Nikolas M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically, as a result of the uncertainty principle, it is impossible to know all the information necessary to predict the future with 100% accuracy.
2007-08-28 00:36:05 · answer #4 · answered by msi_cord 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Basically yes, if you knew all there was to know you could predict the future, no random occurences don't really exist. (kinda subtracts from free will don't it :P )
One big thing though you can not be apart of this universe to have this knowledge and it would take at least our universes worth of energy to calculate. So maybe it might be possible if alternate dimensions exist to store a universes worth of information and a universes worth of energy to calculate the future.
2007-08-28 00:31:18 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yeah we're all going to die that is a fact of nature you don't have to be a genius to figure that out. What does it matter how you get there when the outcome is the same. It is only the journey that matters. Don't think so hard. You can't calculate everything.
2007-08-28 00:16:00 · answer #6 · answered by Vivianna 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you knew everything, then you'd be God...and yes, He does know the future.
TIn physics the 'randomness' is a function ultimately of the uncertainty principle....but if you knew everything then you would even know the outcome of all those "uncertainties".
2007-08-28 00:14:34 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why all the questions today about quantum uncertainty? See my answers to several more recent questions. Yes, I begin answering with the most recent question.
2007-08-28 03:10:19 · answer #8 · answered by Frank N 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's what La Place thought, but there are Quantum Mechanical reason to believe otherwise.
2007-08-28 00:53:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say we could not predict the future.
Even with all the facts some people have trouble forming a grammatical sentence about the present.
You have all the facts about your question.
2007-08-28 00:10:25 · answer #10 · answered by J C 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋