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Re:Everything Is a Linear Model by blt on Sunday February 18, 2024 @07:19PM (#39424934)
Any physical system that makes/breaks contact, such as walking robots. Sure, the foot is not perfectly rigid and technically is a stiff spring. But from a computational perspective, problems still bear all the hallmarks of a discontinuous system such as requiring a very short integration step.
Re:Everything Is a Linear Model by whatshisface on Sunday February 18, 2024 @08:21PM (#39425266)
Yes, that's another example of the discontinuity existing in an idealized model, but not real life.
Re:Everything Is a Linear Model by fnordpiglet on Sunday February 18, 2024 @09:15PM (#39425576)
Quantized space is absolutely discontinuous, and tunneling is a discontinuous system. In fact assuming the universe is quantum it’s discontinuous in reality but the appearance is continuous. But these distinctions aren’t super useful unless you’re dealing with these sorts of effects. Continuity is the approximation, discontinuity is the reality. But depending on what’s useful we use the mathematics that help us.
Re:Everything Is a Linear Model by whatshisface on Sunday February 18, 2024 @09:20PM (#39425607)
Tunneling currents are continuous in every parameter, although I admit that when you're dealing with particles you have continuous probability distributions with continuously varying means, rather than continua of matter. (But that should count, because all macroscopic variables are expectation values.)
Re:Everything Is a Linear Model by fnordpiglet on Monday February 19, 2024 @12:21PM (#39432240)
Specifically at quantized space and time levels everything is discrete even distribution functions. There’s no sense in having a continuous spacial distribution sub Planck lengths.