I Is Information a conserved quantity or not?

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The discussion centers on the nature of statespace in classical and quantum physics, questioning whether it is infinite and how this relates to the concept of information. The idea is explored through Susskind's lectures on Quantum Gravity, particularly regarding entanglement and the topology of space. There is a debate on whether information can be considered infinite and if it is a conserved quantity, with examples like angular momentum and electric charge cited as conserved variables. However, one participant argues that the original question about countable infinite sets and conservation is fundamentally flawed. Ultimately, the conversation highlights the complexities of defining information within the frameworks of physics.
Pythagorean
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Could a variable who's measured values are a countable infinite set still be a conserved quantity?
I've been wondering about statespace. Classically, we assume statespace is infinite (presumably so that we can depend on smooth, differentiable manifolds). But even in quantum, we assume a smooth space and time on which we define wave functions and operations (at least in undergrad quantum, that was the treatment).

I've been watching Susskin's lectures on Quantum Gravity (don't groan yet) and thinking about the entanglement-wormhole thought experiment and wondering about space topologically. Would these topological treatments around quantum/gravity unification not also suggest infinite states?

If you accept that availability of states is infinite in both classical and quantum treatment, then, by extension is information infinite (I couldn't find a single definition of information)?
And does that imply whether it's a conserved quantity or not?
Can we measure whether information is a conserved quantity or is statespace space more axiomatic in physics than empirical?
 
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Pythagorean said:
Summary: Could a variable who's measured values are a countable infinite set still be a conserved quantity?

I've been watching Susskin's lectures on Quantum Gravity
Your question is discussed well in lecture 1 of Susskind's Statistical Mechanics course.
 
Short answer to Summary Question: Yes.
Proof by examples: Angular momentum, Electric Charge, Hadron number, Lepton number.
 
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The stated summary -- "Could a variable who's measured values are a countable infinite set still be a conserved quantity?" -- seems to me to be meaningless at best.
 
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