- #1
Bradfordly1
- 17
- 0
Does computer software/the internet/information in general have any mass? Or is it just pure energy?
Does computer software/the internet/information have mass?
Click For Summary
Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around whether computer software, the internet, and information possess mass or are purely forms of energy. Participants explore theoretical implications, practical considerations, and the relationship between information and mass/energy in various contexts.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- Some participants assert that information itself does not have mass or energy, but requires a minimum amount of mass/energy as a carrier.
- It is proposed that energy in storage systems contributes to mass, and changes in temperature can also affect mass, although these effects are typically negligible.
- Different configurations of charge or molecular arrangements in storage media can represent different energies, suggesting that the mass of a storage device may change depending on the information stored, though the changes are likely not measurable.
- One participant estimates that the mass of all moving electrons in the internet at any given time is approximately 50 grams.
- Another participant provides calculations regarding the mass associated with transmitting the entire internet, estimating that encoding the data would involve about 64 grams of mass based on energy usage, while also noting the impracticality of such transmission.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the relationship between information and mass, with no consensus reached. Some agree that information requires mass/energy carriers, while others challenge the notion of measurable mass associated with information.
Contextual Notes
Participants reference theoretical bounds and practical estimates, but the discussion includes unresolved assumptions about the nature of information and its interaction with mass and energy.
- #2
BvU
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
- 16,219
- 4,934
No. Neither. 
- #3
DrZoidberg
- 522
- 70
Information itself doesn't have any mass or energy but it always requires a minimum amount of mass/energy as information carrier.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bekenstein_bound
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bekenstein_bound
- #4
cosmik debris
- 734
- 172
Information to be stored or manipulated requires energy, any energy in the storage system contributes to its mass as does raising the temperature of the storage system. This effect is negligible in any calculations.
- #5
rbelli1
Gold Member
- 1,092
- 446
Different configurations of charge or magnetic or molecular arrangements in storage mediums represent different energies so in effect you can change the mass of a storage device depending on what is stored there. The amount of energy represented is negligible and may not be directly proportional to the amount of data stored. So information is not measurable in mass and the mass changes in typical devices is likely not measurable either. Also depending on how information is actually stored you may be decreasing the energy (and thus mass) when going from "blank" to "programmed".
To complicate matters a very small change in a typical modern storage mechanism could represent a very large change in the quantity of data stored.
BoB
To complicate matters a very small change in a typical modern storage mechanism could represent a very large change in the quantity of data stored.
BoB
- #6
newjerseyrunner
- 1,532
- 637
There have been a few estimates that the mass of all of the moving electrons that make up the internet at any given time is about 50 grams.
- #7
rkolter
- 97
- 39
There are two answers here. Assume the internet contains about 2000 petabytes of data - that is 2 million terabytes, or 16 billion gigabits.
2 million terabytes would fit onto about 500,000 pounds of solid state devices - assuming about 4 ounces per terabyte. That's data you could actually access. But it's not the answer you want.
If you transmitted the entire internet, how much energy (and thus mass) would be used to encode that data? Assume 16 billion gigabits of data, a 1 watt laser diode, and a 1 gigabit per second fiber line that is perfectly efficient, unbreakable and as long as needed. It would take 16 million kilowatt/hours to transmit the Internet. That's 5.76x10^13 Joules (1.6x10^7 kilowatt/hours) of energy to transmit the Internet through that cable. That works out to about 64 grams of mass for the energy encoding the Internet.
(corrected math)
It would take you 500 years to transmit the Internet. The fiber that would hold the Internet from start to finish would weigh in at 1.55x10^20 pounds (a hundred billion billion pounds). It would wrap around the Earth 1.23x10^14 times.
2 million terabytes would fit onto about 500,000 pounds of solid state devices - assuming about 4 ounces per terabyte. That's data you could actually access. But it's not the answer you want.
If you transmitted the entire internet, how much energy (and thus mass) would be used to encode that data? Assume 16 billion gigabits of data, a 1 watt laser diode, and a 1 gigabit per second fiber line that is perfectly efficient, unbreakable and as long as needed. It would take 16 million kilowatt/hours to transmit the Internet. That's 5.76x10^13 Joules (1.6x10^7 kilowatt/hours) of energy to transmit the Internet through that cable. That works out to about 64 grams of mass for the energy encoding the Internet.
(corrected math)
It would take you 500 years to transmit the Internet. The fiber that would hold the Internet from start to finish would weigh in at 1.55x10^20 pounds (a hundred billion billion pounds). It would wrap around the Earth 1.23x10^14 times.
Last edited:
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