On 2 July 2014 17:03, meekerdb <[email protected]> wrote: > On 7/1/2014 9:40 PM, LizR wrote: > > On 2 July 2014 15:46, meekerdb <[email protected]> wrote: > >> On 7/1/2014 6:52 PM, LizR wrote: >> >> Interesting. How is the energy required to erase a single bit >>> reducible to statistical mechanics? >>> >>> Erasing a bit means putting it in a known state, which is a decrease >> in entropy. >> >> I don't get why a "known state" is important here. I certainly don't > see why it's a decrease in entropy. (I assume you mean known to someone?) > > > If you just left it in some unknown state you wouldn't be erasing it. > Entropy decreases because before the bit was in one of two possible states; > after it's in only one. >
So it was in an unknown state before - what does that mean? To whom or what was it unknown? Sorry to be obtuse but I can't see how someone's knowledge of a bit's state can affect its entropy. > > > http://www.nature.com/news/the-unavoidable-cost-of-computation-revealed-1.10186 > > Brent > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
