Michio Kaku's Hyperspace: Dying Galaxy & "Let There Be Light

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around a reference made by Michio Kaku in his book "Hyperspace" regarding a story about a dying galaxy and a computer that knows everything. Participants seek to identify the specific story and its details, including the phrase "Let there be Light" and its implications about the universe's fate.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant recalls a story involving a dying galaxy and a computer that continues to exist as the universe dies, seeking the title and page number from Kaku's book.
  • Another participant suggests that the story is "The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov, found in various short story collections.
  • A different participant proposes that the title might be "The Final Question," describing a plot where a scientist asks a computer about perpetual motion, which the computer cannot answer but stores for future generations.
  • One participant comments on Asimov's foresight regarding modern computers, noting the story's publication in 1956.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the title of the story, with some suggesting "The Last Question" and others proposing "The Final Question." The discussion remains unresolved regarding the exact title and details.

Contextual Notes

There is uncertainty regarding the specific title and content of the story referenced by Kaku, as well as the interpretations of its themes and implications.

Cladson
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In michio Kaku's book hyperspace he makes reference to a book(or books) that has a dying glaxy and he says the people in the galaxy keep talking a to computer that knows everything and in the end it talks about how the universe finally dies but the computer is still alive and it gathers nebula dust and what not and say "Let there be Light" what page and what is the name of the book?
 
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Though I do not recall the name of the story it is by Isaac Azimov. It appears in one of his collections of short stories.

Edit: After doing a bit of google work I believe the name of the story is The Last Question It appears in several different short story collections.
 
Last edited:
I think its Asimov's The Final Question. In that story, a scientist asks a computer (in the 1950s 0r 60s) how one can produce perpetual motion. The computer can't answer but it stores the question. Then as long eons of history progress, computers keep getting better but can't answer, so they pass the question on to the next generation, until finally, as the universe is dying, the last computer does as you said.
 
It is a great story, Azimov essentially forcast the modern PC in 1956.
 

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