The main subject of this paper is the application of Digital Philosophy to Physics. This task can be sub-divided:
1. Mapping properties of microscopic physical state onto binary representations
2. Defining digital processes that cause these binary representations to evolve in concert with the laws of physics.
This paper focuses mainly on the first step. Certain properties of physics, likely to be basic and fundamental, are selected for binary representation. The various representations must be mutually consistent. The current list includes:
· 3+1 dimensional space-time (position, orientation and velocity)
· CPT [1] and other symmetries
· Planck’s constant
· The speed of light
· Momentum and angular momentum
· Force
· Mass-Energy
· Charge
· Color charge
· Conservation laws
· Certain facts about particles.
· The static representation of all dynamic information
These properties of physics are assigned to configurations of bits in a discrete space-time lattice. It is easy to do this for one or two such facts, but more difficult to consistently represent many properties simultaneously. Thus, the development of Digital Philosophy’s first step can be seen as a process of synthesis. Many pieces of a large puzzle must be fitted together so that many of the known facts of physics are represented by a particular model. Such models, consistent with DP are called Digital Mechanics. Digital Philosophy is defined by a set of global assumptions; Digital Mechanics expands and adds to those assumptions to create specific hypothetical models of physical state and processes at the most microscopic level.
Last revised 15 Oct 2001