TagEntropy
What Do the “Laws of Nature” Actually Explain?
To what extent does the phrase simply stand in for an explanation?
Was the Universe Created for Life Forms to Live In? How To Know?
We can begin by looking at the fundamental constants that underlie the universeIn a continuing conversation with Swedish mathematician Ola Hössjer and Colombian biostatistician Daniel Díaz (podcast 153) on the fine-tuning of the universe — and Earth — for life, Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks asks them about fundamental constants. This is the first part of Episode 3, “The universe is so fine-tuned!” (September 16, 2021). Earlier portions, with transcripts and notes, are listed below. This portion begins at 01:09 min. A partial transcript, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Robert J. Marks: Why is the speed of light, the speed of light? Why isn’t it slower or faster? Why is the universal gravitational constant what it is? It turns out these and other constants of the cosmos are what Read More ›
Run the Gambit of Complexity
Prepare to discuss the ins and outs of complexity. On this episode of Mind Matters, you’ll learn about active information, maximum entropy, intervals, and so much more as Robert J. Marks speaks with Ola Hössjer and Daniel Díaz about everything complex! Show Notes Additional Resources
Why Information Theory Is Like a Good Run
Information theory can help us understand a wide range of fields besides computersInformation theory is a deep field that is responsible for our modern internet and satellite TV. The field was pioneered by Claude Shannon to measure our ability to communicate meaning. But besides powering the information revolution, information theory is also very widely applicable elsewhere. Once you understand the basic intuition, you can see applications popping up all over the place. To prove the point, I’ll show how we can apply information theory to gain insight in the very low tech world of running. I’ve been running off and on for many years and I’ve noticed that information theory describes a good run. First of all, what is a good run? A good run is when your body feels as if Read More ›
Bingecast: Yuri Danilov on the Complexity of our Brains
Recent discoveries about the brain have uncovered more of its complexity and changed what we thought we knew about it. Will more discoveries in the future change our views again? Robert J. Marks discusses neuroplasticity, restoring brain function through brain stimulation, and other fascinating discoveries about the human brain with Yuri Danilov. Show Notes 0:01:13 | Introducing Yuri Danilov, Senior Read More ›
Machine Learning: Decision Trees Can Solve Murders
Decision trees increase our chance at a right answer. We can see how that works in a mystery board game like ClueEntropy is a concept in information theory that characterizes the number of choices available when a probability distribution is involved. Understanding how it works helps us make better guesses.
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