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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!lanl!wkp
From: wkp@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Proof of Outlandish Propositions
Message-ID: <29563@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 12-Aug-85 12:50:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: lanl.29563
Posted: Mon Aug 12 12:50:10 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 14-Aug-85 03:28:48 EDT
References: <293@mit-athena.UUCP> <528@bu-cs.UUCP> <586@ihu1m.UUCP> <29280@lanl.ARPA> <612@ihu1m.UUCP>
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 34


In article <612@ihu1m.UUCP> Yosi Hoshen writes:

> I didn't say that you can simultaneously determine the position and
> momentum of a particle.  Quantum mechanics allows you to determine
> their expectation values.  The issue is whether there is a mathematical
> model.  I think mathematical model is possible.  But such a model that
> considers all interactions is not solvable.

     The issue was whether or not it is possible to describe the universe
     mathematically.  The laws of physics themselves decree that 
     there exists a fundamental limitation to what is knowable.
     Hence, there are phenomena in physics which are inherently
     undecidable, and thus not describable by mathematics.

     In point of fact, mathematics is not even describable by itself.
     The famous Incompleteness Theorem states that:

     1.  It is not possible to prove the internal consistency of
	 mathematics.

     2.  There are things that are true that can never be deduced
	 from any finite set of axioms.

     The famous Halting Theorem in computer science is another example
     of a proven limitation to what is ultimately knowable.  Of course,
     this has nothing to do with computational complexity.
--

bill peter                                       ihnp4!lanl!wkp

"See how many hidden causes there are...hidden from the comprehension
 of human beings."                   
                       --The Zohar