• Vsauce: Would Headlights Work at Light Speed?
    47 replies, posted
[hd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACUuFg9Y9dY[/hd]
That was very thought provoking
Its not a Vsauce video if you dont leave with an existential crisis
Love the ending, as usual.
What if they just programmed a really long irrational number? and every time we get closer to the end they just add more to it?
[QUOTE=Cpt.Funkymonk;47214873]What if they just programmed a really long irrational number? and every time we get closer to the end they just add more to it?[/QUOTE] What if the developer of the simulation was living inside it with us? It could be anyone... [sp]Garry?[/sp]
Pretty good explanation of special relativity. I like the animations. I may have to use this video when explaining it in the future.
Irrational numbers expand at the speed of light. No numbers are irrational at the speed of light.
That last bit with irrational numbers and simulated universes: [img]http://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/20150212.png[/img]
If this is a simulation, I must speed run it.
[QUOTE=Intoxicated Spy;47215052]If this is a simulation, I must speed run it.[/QUOTE] What is the end?
I don't really follow the end. Why does the existence of irrational numbers disprove virtual reality? How come Michael thinks it's possible that pi's decimal representation is that of a rational number?
[QUOTE=Krinkels;47215158]I don't really follow the end. Why does the existence of irrational numbers disprove virtual reality? How come Michael thinks it's possible that pi's decimal representation is that of a rational number?[/QUOTE] Computers can only store a number up to so much a precision.
[QUOTE=Ott;47215275]Computers can only store a number up to so much a precision.[/QUOTE] but what if they (the people trhat simulate us) live in a universe where computrs can represent infinitely repeating irrational numbers?
[QUOTE=ZestyLemons;47215350]but what if they (the people trhat simulate us) live in a universe where computrs can represent infinitely [B]repeating [/B]irrational numbers?[/QUOTE] Then it's not irrational. Of course, we may have just not discovered the point where it repeats yet, but that's why Michael left the question as to whether or not pi ends open.
[QUOTE=Krinkels;47215158]I don't really follow the end. Why does the existence of irrational numbers disprove virtual reality? How come Michael thinks it's possible that pi's decimal representation is that of a rational number?[/QUOTE] Because it is possible that Pi has an end and we just haven't reached it yet. The truth is, it is possible that any irrational number is just a rational number whose end, or repeating pattern, we haven't figured out yet. We will never know for sure unless we actually reach that point. If, on the other hand, those irrational numbers are truly irrational, that means infinite complexity (in the form of numbers that never end and never repeat) exists, and as far as we know, no computer system in the past, present or future could calculate such a thing (because computers are, by their nature, finite) let alone base a simulation on it. Hope that helps.
I don't understand the pi argument. Is it saying that if life were a simulation, it's just a really really precise decimal approximation stored as a constant in some list of life-variables? I mean, we have formulas to calculate pi. If it's just some stored precise value, what would happen if we were to go even more precise with one of the many formulas we have? I don't think I fully understand the argument or I'm missing the point.
[QUOTE=Snickerdoodle;47215391]I don't understand the pi argument. Is it saying that if life were a simulation, it's just a really really precise decimal approximation stored as a constant in some list of life-variables? I mean, we have formulas to calculate pi. If it's just some stored precise value, what would happen if we were to go even more precise with one of the many formulas we have? I don't think I fully understand the argument or I'm missing the point.[/QUOTE] The argument is that the existence of irrational numbers suggests that we do not live in a simulation because a simulation cannot simulate infinite complexity. For all the progress we have made on Pi, e and other irrational numbers, we have never found an end or a repeating pattern, which is evidence that these numbers are infinitely complex, and thus, we do not live in a simulation. If we found an end to Pi, it [I]could[/I] be evidence that we live in a simulation. All of this rests on the assumption that nobody could create a computer that could simulate a universe with infinite complexity.
Anyone read any of the books he mentioned? I always like to take the interesting books he brings up and bookmark them for potential future purchase.
[QUOTE=GeneralSpecific;47215484]The argument is that the existence of irrational numbers suggests that we do not live in a simulation because a simulation cannot simulate infinite complexity. For all the progress we have made on Pi, e and other irrational numbers, we have never found an end or a repeating pattern, which is evidence that these numbers are infinitely complex, and thus, we do not live in a simulation. If we found an end to Pi, it [I]could[/I] be evidence that we live in a simulation. All of this rests on the assumption that nobody could create a computer that could simulate a universe with infinite complexity.[/QUOTE] The thing is, a simulation cannont simulate infinite complexity due to rules we're familiar with in our own world. If we are in a simulation, it is very possible that the "real" world has a set of rules which do, indeed, allow a simulation of infinite compelxity. Basically the multiverse theory, but applied to the single world outside of our "simulation."
began by talking about impossible lightbulbs, then boarded a rollercoaster down into DoIEvenExistVille. only on Vsauce
[QUOTE=Commando1234;47215530]Anyone read any of the books he mentioned? I always like to take the interesting books he brings up and bookmark them for potential future purchase.[/QUOTE] I haven't read the books he suggested but however, I thought of Bunker 10 when he started talking about simulations and determining whether you're in a simulation or not.
I read a short pasta on /tg/ the other day where our universe was a simulation and eventually we figured it out. And then we hacked the simulations computers from the inside out, got access to their 'internet', found their matter fabricators and fabricated a human in the real universe and overthrew our creators.
[quote]Because it is possible that Pi has an end and we just haven't reached it yet. The truth is, it is possible that any irrational number is just a rational number whose end, or repeating pattern, we haven't figured out yet. We will never know for sure unless we actually reach that point.[/quote] Except that it has been mathematically proven that Pi, the square root of 2, and other irrational numbers can not be expressed as a fraction and therefore the decimal can not terminate.
[QUOTE=Helix Snake;47216117]Except that it has been mathematically proven that Pi, the square root of 2, and other irrational numbers can not be expressed as a fraction and therefore the decimal can not terminate.[/QUOTE] If an end were to be found, or a point where it repeats, it can be expressed as a fraction.
[QUOTE=Helix Snake;47216117]Except that it has been mathematically proven that Pi, the square root of 2, and other irrational numbers can not be expressed as a fraction and therefore the decimal can not terminate.[/QUOTE] You have that backwards. If a number currently believed to be rational was found to have an end or a repeating pattern, then it would actually be rational and could be expressed as a fraction, or a ratio.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/DWrI2JY.gif[/img] The video was one thing, these comments about irrational numbers were another beast entirely. [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Image macro" - JohnnyMo1))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=Empty_Shadow;47215884]I read a short pasta on /tg/ the other day where our universe was a simulation and eventually we figured it out. And then we hacked the simulations computers from the inside out, got access to their 'internet', found their matter fabricators and fabricated a human in the real universe and overthrew our creators.[/QUOTE] This actually sounds fantastic, what is it with /tg/ and creating these fantastic ideas for science fiction novels and then just leaving them on 4chan where they 404 within a matter of hours? I want someone to write these, God damn it.
[QUOTE=Helix Snake;47216117]Except that it has been mathematically proven that Pi, the square root of 2, and other irrational numbers can not be expressed as a fraction and therefore the decimal can not terminate.[/QUOTE] it's not really provable, what if we haven't calculated enough digits of pi yet? if we find an end point/repeating point we would be able to express it as a fraction and so it would be rational
[QUOTE=Zombii;47216432]This actually sounds fantastic, what is it with /tg/ and creating these fantastic ideas for science fiction novels and then just leaving them on 4chan where they 404 within a matter of hours? I want someone to write these, God damn it.[/QUOTE] It was pretty cool. [sp]The twist ending was that humans were engineered by the higher race to see what a species who's driving factors were survival and war would do. The higher level universe was very peaceful and the aliens hadn't even invented the concept of weapons so once humans got out they wrecked face[/sp] I think a better ending would be [sp]humans escape their simulation prison and overcome their creators, but then at the end of it all they realise the higher universe was [I]also[/I] a simulation[/sp]
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