Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site umcp-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!israel From: israel@umcp-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: numbering alternate universes Message-ID: <2258@umcp-cs.UUCP> Date: Tue, 30-Aug-83 22:10:31 EDT Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.2258 Posted: Tue Aug 30 22:10:31 1983 Date-Received: Wed, 31-Aug-83 23:50:36 EDT References: <1944@tekecs.UUCP> <332@dciem.UUCP> Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept. Lines: 50 Can you map a countable number of irrationals onto one bit stream? I thought it had to be a finite number, and I don't think we can assume that a finite number will do for all possible universes. If I'm wrong, please tell me how to do it (by mail). --Anyway, can we not conceive on a universe that has an analog of the Uncertainty Principle but in which physics is NOT quantized? I would think that such a universe would generate uncountable infinities of irrationals. Sure, you can map a countable number of irrationals onto one infinite bit stream given that you can map a single irrational onto an infinite bit stream. You just do it by dovetailing. For example, first you list all the bit streams in order: bit-stream for Irrational[1] b[1,1] b[1,2] b[1,3] b[1,4] ... bit-stream for Irrational[2] b[2,1] b[2,2] b[2,3] b[2,4] ... bit-stream for Irrational[3] b[3,1] b[3,2] b[3,3] b[3,4] ... . . . Then you just start at the corner and dovetail out to create the list: i.e., 1 2 6 7 15 16 3 5 8 14 . 4 9 13 . 10 12 . 11 to create: b[1,1] b[1,2] b[2,1] b[3,1] b[2,2] b[1,3] b[1,4] ... Also, I wanted to address the person who said that you can't use a bit-mapped numbering scheme representing the decisions because one choice of decision A may make decision B non-existent in one framework and existent in the other. It doesn't matter that B is non-existent in one since the places are not tied to a specific decision, but instead to and order of decisions (in other words, the 'n' bits preceding it should uniquely determine the decision that that bit represents). -- ~~~ Bruce Computer Science Dept., University of Maryland {rlgvax,seismo}!umcp-cs!israel (Usenet) israel.umcp-cs@Udel-Relay (Arpanet)