Should there be a law of information preservation?

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter haiha
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Information
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the concept of information preservation and whether there should be a law governing it. Participants explore the relationship between information, entropy, and the creation of information, touching on theoretical implications and definitions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that information cannot be created except for random instances, proposing a law of information preservation.
  • Another participant draws a connection between the idea of information preservation and entropy, although they express limited knowledge in physics.
  • A different participant emphasizes the need for a clear definition of "information" in this context.
  • One participant argues against the existence of 'random' information, claiming that random arrangements do not contain information and that information can be created at the expense of energy.
  • This participant also links the concept of information to entropy, referencing information theory for further clarification.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of information and its relationship to entropy, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain without a consensus on the definitions or implications of information preservation.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the ambiguity surrounding the definition of information and its relationship to energy and entropy, with some assumptions about the nature of randomness and information creation remaining unresolved.

haiha
Messages
136
Reaction score
1
When working with data, one should see that information can not be created except for random ones. Should there be a law of information preservation?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
hmmm, like entropy? I am still a noob at physics, but that sounds kind of like entropy.
 
Well, it sounds nice. But I think we shoud define clearly the term information?
 
There is no such thing as 'random' information, a random arrangement of particles for example, contains NO information.

Information can be created, but always at the expense of energy.

Information does have a precise definition, and it is linked with the definition of entropy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy

Check out section 3.3 for a reference to information theory.

Claude.
 

Similar threads

Graduate What should I do with my spacetime model?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Undergrad Is the Black Hole Information Paradox Truly Resolved?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Undergrad Merging black holes: gravitational waves and information
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
Test question: What is true for a mechanical impact?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
1K
High School Preserving information/an object for a couple of billion years
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
2K
Universal information: How much is enough?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
999
Creating Entropy For Cryptographic Purposes
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Graduate Is there a lost information paradox for quantum physics?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
High School Why Does Black Hole Entropy and Information Loss Matter?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Undergrad Information lost at the Big Crunch?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K