Question

If CPUs were infinitely fast, and we had infinitely fast and infinitely large memory, would we benefit from optimization?

Answer 1

So you're talking about the point that computers pass us? What's that called again, (trying to think)

Answer 2

The technological singularity?

Answer 3

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

Answer 4

There you go

Answer 5

if you had a infinite amount of money, would you benefit from managing your money ??

Answer 6

@dumbcow maybe not

Answer 7

Ohh, good one dumbcow (I always feel uncomfortable typing your name btw) ;)

Answer 8

isn't the point of optimization is to maximize limited resources....therefore optimization is obsolete with infinite resources...in my opinion

Answer 9

So, theoretically, optimization is the maximization of infinite resources, correct? Thus would be unnecessary in your scenario

Answer 10

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/PPTMooresLawai.jpg

Answer 11

haha, beat me to it dumbcow

Answer 12

Is there any resource on earth that's infinite?

Answer 13

no

Answer 14

nothing on earth is infinite
if the earth itself will have a set limit of existence itself...

Answer 15

What about software that can be infinitely copied/reused with no sort of degredation, or even ideas?

Answer 16

Well, given that a resource must take up some sort of space, an infinite resource would take up infinite volume.

Answer 17

so, does a resource have to be tangible then?

Answer 18

Not necessarily. I feel that all resources take up some sort of "space", whether that space is volume or not. Let me try to rephrase.

Answer 19

software and ideas certainly do take space

Answer 20

i was referin to material of course

Answer 21

Ideas? How so? @agdg

Answer 22

Well, ideas can be stored in a few places: neurons, text, etc.

But none of these is infinite.

Answer 23

@cshalvey don't they occupy minds? Don't minds have limited storage? I think the mind is a little different though...

Answer 24

An idea can exist without being stored in any of those places, but if it's not stored in any one of those places, does it actually exist? Since no one knows the idea?

Answer 25

right, the mind is absurdly hard to quantify - we have estimates, but no real hard data, ie GB of storage for instance

Answer 26

Interesting Xishem...

Answer 27

an idea can be used :P

Answer 28

without many thought to it

Answer 29

Also, if I have an idea, and I forget - does that idea necessarily cease to exist?

Answer 30

Crazy... I wonder if it's stored somewhere in the folds of your brain in some neurons somewhere that you just can't access.

Answer 31

Philosophy on the Math group :-D

Answer 32

Or I wonder if it's possible to completely erase an idea or thought from your mind?

Answer 33

i think it has more to do with psychology :P

Answer 34

I think so Xishem - for instance studies on dreams, etc are more puzzling than helpful

Answer 35

if you are talking about the mind

Answer 36

Also deja vu

Answer 37

deja vu :-D

Answer 38

Imma gonna give this question a medal - off topic be damned ;)

Answer 39

I thought deja vu was simply a glitch in your memory function or something...

Answer 40

True, but it's also rooted a lot in memory they've found. Which is weird - because it's forward focused (present experiences 'remembered')

Answer 41

I'd be interested to see how you could affect certain memories that are stored in the brain. For instance, if you (physically) removed a neuron from a neuron group for a given memory, how would it affect that memory?

Would it be like corrupted files on a computer, where they just couldn't be read, or would some completely unrelated memory take its place?

Answer 42

I think it's more organic than that - the concept of 'relearning' how to walk for instance - neurons regrow in new paths...

Answer 43

And then there's actual memory loss - amnesia - which spontaneously can go away, or never go away

Answer 44

Like if you pull the last bit off of 1011, it changes from 11 to 5.

cshalvey: Hmm, possibly. It'd be interesting to see how different memory groups relate to eachother.

Answer 45

memory loss is actually caused by the brain becoming smoother

Answer 46

less wrinkly

Answer 47

right, a degradation right?

Answer 48

mhm

Answer 49

humans are different would be different computers
where
humans can relearn things
humans can forget things and remember again
computers they hold things in for a terminally
if they break ( they are doomed forever until fixed)

Answer 50

That's just because the system that humans use to find data is... primitive compared to computers.

Answer 51

well, this was fun everyone - but I'm off to bed - knackered
great question adgd, interesting convo mth, Xishem, dumbcow

Answer 52

k bb
gngn

Answer 53

lol with so many ppl answering i felt like i did something wrong

Answer 54

A quick responce to the question "what is infinite on earth?"

Data.

Answer 55

.....

Answer 56

That's a pretty broad term. Specify?

Answer 57

Or was that already said? :/

Answer 58

Well, if you think about it, everything around us is made up of data. Specificaly atoms and cells.

Answer 59

So are there infinite atoms and cells?

Answer 60

Technically... yes. Untill we find a limit to space, and time. :|

Answer 61

We haven't NOT found a limit. I don't think you can automatically assume that space and time are infinite.

Answer 62

And then there is Pi (\[\pi\]). Which to my current understanding is infinite. Thereby providing infinite data.

Answer 63

Ah! And Energy is also infinite.

Answer 64

isn't the concept of infinite and infinitesimal relative?

Answer 65

lol numbers

Answer 66

Just because pi has an infinite number of digits doesn't mean all of those digits are stored somewhere. Pi is only an abstraction humans have made for the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It has no meaning.

Answer 67

energy is not infinite

Answer 68

mth3v4, Energy cannot be created or destroyed. So in theory, we will never gain more, or lose any. Doesn't that make it infinite?

Answer 69

I am talking in reference to the physical world.

Imagine a creature so small lets say made up of just an element or nearly an element's size wouldn't the term infinitesimal and infinite have different meaning for the creature.

Answer 70

according to the laws of newton
not so

Answer 71

it is not a matter of destroying or not destroying

Answer 72

The energy will be around for an infinite amount of time, but you don't have infinite energy.

Answer 73

@Xishern, I understand that it's nothing more than a numeric value, I am just trying to think of concepts that are infinite.

Answer 74

If you have 5 everlasting dollar bills, you still can't pay for something that costs $10.

Answer 75

mth3v4, Can you please explain?

Answer 76

i am not reffering to conservation of energy

Answer 77

Energy would be infinite resource, certainly.

Answer 78

*an infinite resource

Answer 79

However, it's not infinite on Earth.

Answer 80

True.

Answer 81

Well, actually, assume that Earth were a closed system (which it's not). No energy can escape, so therefore, you could continue using the energy over and over, yes?

Answer 82

Correct.

Answer 83

But it's impossible to create a completely closed system.

Answer 84

i was reffering to
law 1 of motion
i think
i forgot

Answer 85

its one of them :P

Answer 86

closed system
infinite earth
i would agree infinite energy

Answer 87

but world going to end who know when
(not in my time of course)

Answer 88

lol
this question became such an attraction

Answer 89

well i gtg now
nice talking to you every1
:D

Answer 90

mth3v4, I have gone over Newtons laws, and I cant seem to find the one you are refering to...

Answer 91

Isee, well perhaps we can discuss this later :/

Answer 92

There was a interesting question that this question reminds me of, "Given an infinite number of monkeys and an infinite amount of time, would one of them write Hamlet?"

Answer 93

With no typewriters, of course not.

Answer 94

Indeed, and I suppose the correct answer would be yes (if they did have typewriters), It's just that it would take "forever".

Answer 95

Hell, one monkey given a typewriter and infinite time would write Hamlet.

Answer 96

Yes this is actually http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem

Answer 97

Now the question is, would it take a shorter time if there is one monkey? Or a longer time if there were many?

Answer 98

Well, if you have two monkeys whacking away at it, you would get the result you wanted, on average, twice as fast.