Notes

Chapter 9: Fundamental Physics


Section 1: The Problems of Physics


Section 2: The Notion of Reversibility

Classification of reversible rules Directional reversibility [in cellular automata] Emergence of reversibility Generalized additive [cellular automaton] rules History [of second-order cellular automata] Inverse [cellular automaton] rules Numbers of reversible [cellular automaton] rules Other reversible systems Properties [of second-order cellular automata] Properties [of second-order cellular automata] Reversible computation Rule 37R Second-order cellular automata Surjectivity and injectivity [in cellular automata] Testing for reversibility [in cellular automata]

Section 3: Irreversibility and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Alignment of time in the universe Billiards Biological systems and Maxwell's demon Cosmology and the Second Law Current thinking on the Second Law Entropy of particles in a box History of thermodynamics My explanation of the Second Law Periods in rule 37R Poincaré recurrence Self-gravitating systems Time reversal invariance

Section 4: Conserved Quantities and Continuum Phenomena

Block cellular automata Block rules [examples] Conservation of vector quantities [Conserved quantities in] PDEs [Conserved quantities in] physics Derivation of the diffusion equation Diffusion equation Implementation [of conserved quantity test] Limiting procedures [for cellular automata] Local conservation laws More general conserved quantities Non-standard diffusion Other conserved quantities PDE approximations [to cellular automata]

Section 5: Ultimate Models for the Universe

Apparent simplicity [of laws] Consequences of an ultimate model [of physics] Emergence of simple laws [History of] origins of physical models History of ultimate models [of physics] Initial conditions [for the universe] Meaning of the universe Mechanistic models [in physics] Numerology Physics versus mathematics Simplicity in scientific models The Anthropic Principle Theological implications [of ultimate models of physics]

Section 6: The Nature of Space

History of discrete [models of] space Planck length Space and its contents Symmetry [of discrete space]

Section 7: Space as a Network

3D network Continuous mathematics [and networks] Continuum limits [of networks] Counting of [network] nodes Cycle lengths [in networks] Definitions of dimension Definitions of distance Finding layouts [for networks] Generalizations [of trivalent networks] Hamming distances [in networks] Implementation [of network properties] Maintaining simple rules [for networks] Properties of networks Regular polytopes Trivalent networks Volumes of spheres

Section 8: The Relationship of Space and Time

Cayley graphs Discreteness in time History [of views of time] Network constraint systems Spacetime symmetric rules Symmetric graphs

Section 9: Time and Causal Networks

Causal networks [Causal networks for] 2D mobile automata [Causal networks for] mobile automata Computational compression [and time] Implementation [of causal networks]

Section 10: The Sequencing of Events in the Universe

Distributed computing [Generalized substitution system] rule (b) Generating causal networks Implementation [of generalized substitution systems] Intrinsic synchronization in cellular automata Sequential cellular automata Simulating mobile automata String overlaps String theory The sequential limit [in generalized substitution systems]

Section 11: Uniqueness and Branching in Time

Commuting operations [on strings] Completion [in multiway systems] Conditions for convergence [in string rewriting] Confluence [in string rewriting] Many-worlds models Parallel universes Relationships between types of networks Spacetime networks from multiway systems String transformations

Section 12: Evolution of Networks

1- and 2-connection [network] clusters 1/n expansion [and networks] Cellular structures [in nature] Chemical analogy [for network substitutions] Connectedness [of universe] Cycles in networks Directed network systems Feynman diagrams [and networks] [Generating] arbitrary transformations [between networks] [Generating] random networks Graph grammars Identifying subnetworks [in networks] Implementation [of network substitution rules] Neighbor-independent [network substitution] rules [Network] cluster numbers Network mobile automata [Networks generated by] random replacements Non-overlapping [network] clusters Number of [possible network] replacements Planar networks Reversibility [of networks and universe] Symbolic representations [and networks]

Section 13: Space, Time and Relativity

History of relativity Inferences from relativity Particle physics [and relativity] Posets Spacelike slices Speed of light Standard treatment [of relativity] Time travel

Section 14: Elementary Particles

Charge quantization Expansion of the universe Gauge invariance History [of elementary particles] Identifying particles [in networks] Knot theory Kuratowski's theorem More particles [in physics] Note for physicists Particle masses Spin [of particles] Topological defects Types of [elementary] particles

Section 15: The Phenomenon of Gravity

Cosmology Cylinder volumes Differential geometry Einstein equations Geodesics History [of gravity theory] Hyperbolic networks Lorentzian spaces Manifold [properties and] undecidability Non-integer dimensions [Properties of] discrete spaces Pure gravity [theory] Quantum gravity Random causal networks Sphere volumes Spherical networks Torsion

Section 16: Quantum Phenomena

Bell's inequalities Discrete quantum mechanics Feynman diagrams History [of quantum theory] Quantum effects Quantum field theory Quantum measurement Reproducing quantum phenomena Vacuum fluctuations

From Stephen Wolfram: A New Kind of Science [citation]