• sabin@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    If you have an analog computer that simulates a ball falling, you have an analog of a ball.

    In this case your analog computer would literally have some kind of ball as part of the apparatus. Thus you would be able to argue that the result is proof of a ball having been dropped and having taken exactly x.seconds to fall.

    If you have an analog integrator you literally produce cyclic motions of the constitute frequencies of some signal in order to form the output graph.

    What you are doing is trying to use the above statements to argue some statement about quantum computing. Clearly any attempt to do so is complete nonsense.

    If anything reconsidering the argument above just lends MORE credence to the idea of a multiverse. Wherever you have an analog computer producing a result the intermediary compontents of the result physically exist. If the same applies for a quantum computer the space in which different permutations of intermediate results must physically exist.

    I’m not trying to insult you but you’re clearly forcing some nonsense argument just to match the conclusion you’ve already had in mind before understanding the argument put forward.

    Edit: I realized now I confused the “ball and disk” integrator for a similar physical apparatus that was used to compute fourier transforms but the point still stands

    • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      The ball dropping is computing x^2. You setup the ball at the height you need like setting up the voltages of a set of configured transistors. You could measure the output to get the answer like you measure the output of the transistors.

      A ball integrator is computing an integral that required so much computation that missile guidance systems used ball integrators instead of digital computers even in the early 1970’s.

      Computers aren’t magic. They are physical machines that require setup to perform a computation and measurement to get the output.

      A quantum computer can perform many operations in parallel. That is a feature of QM. Parallel worlds is one of many ideas as to why this is possible. It’s not a theory because it has made no testable predictions. It’s just as valid as claiming, “Angels did it.”

      • sabin@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        A quantum computer can perform many operations in parallel. That is a feature of QM.

        You’re trivializing the capabilities. This is not something you can just simulate on classic hardware while maintaining the O(n) performance of an actual quantum computer.

        The fact that it is probably possible to do this stuff in the first place with a quantum computer is the point.

        It’s not a theory because it has made no testable predictions. It’s just as valid as claiming, “Angels did it.”

        I don’t disagree with this statement as stated but try and have some appreciation for the fact that this sort of reality-bending invention is possible.

        It’s ok to start speculating.