Re:Physical Limits to Computation (2000) [pdf]
by DavidPlumpton on Sunday May 31, 2015 @05:14PM
(#9635576)
Is computing Chaitin's omega the most pointless waste of time that can possibly be imagined, by definition? If you actually had the value can you do anything with it at all?
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:Physical Limits to Computation (2000) [pdf]
by eli_gottlieb on Sunday May 31, 2015 @07:21PM
(#9635997)
As noted above: you could solve the Halting Problem, and compute optimal data compression. Oh, and then we could go ahead and calculate Kolmogorov complexity K(x) for any arbitrary string, thus allowing Solomonoff Induction and AIXI to work. If you can compute Omega exactly you can thereby do almost anything at all.