Related papers: Irreducible Complexity in Pure Mathematics
We introduce algorithmic information theory, also known as the theory of Kolmogorov complexity. We explain the main concepts of this quantitative approach to defining `information'. We discuss the extent to which Kolmogorov's and Shannon's…
Information is everywhere in nature which is very uncertain and unpredictable. But information, in itself, is a very ambiguous term. In this cursory write-up, we attempt to understand the formal meaning of information by quantifying…
Recent tremendous development of quantum information theory led to a number of quantum technological projects, e.g., quantum random generators. This development stimulates a new wave of interest in quantum foundations. One of the most…
This paper was presented on the occasion of an honorary doctoral degree for Henryk Wozniakowski at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany on June 6, 2008. Information-based complexity (IBC) is the study of algorithms and…
Three philosophical principles are often quoted in connection with Leibniz: "objects sharing the same properties are the same object" (Identity of indiscernibles), "everything can possibly exist, unless it yields contradiction" (Possibility…
Complexity theory can be viewed as the study of the relationship between computation and applications, understood the former as complexity classes and the latter as problems. Completeness results are clearly central to that view. Many…
A source of unpredictability is equivalent to a source of information: unpredictability means not knowing which of a set of alternatives is the actual one; determining the actual alternative yields information. The degree of…
We present two theorems concerned with algorithmic randomness and differentiability of functions of several variables. Firstly, we prove an effective form of the Rademacher's Theorem: we show that computable randomness implies…
We develop a theory of complexity for numerical computations that takes into account the condition of the input data and allows for roundoff in the computations. We follow the lines of the theory developed by Blum, Shub, and Smale for…
The latest in a series of reports presenting the information-theoretic incompleteness theorems of algorithmic information theory via algorithms written in specially designed versions of LISP. Previously in this LISP code only one-character…
We propose a test based on the theory of algorithmic complexity and an experimental evaluation of Levin's universal distribution to identify evidence in support of or in contravention of the claim that the world is algorithmic in nature. To…
A formula for the number of monic irreducible self-reciprocal polynomials, of a given degree over a finite field, was given by Carlitz in 1967. In 2011 Ahmadi showed that Carlitz's formula extends, essentially without change, to a count of…
The last theme of Kolmogorov's mathematics research was algorithmic theory of information, now often called Kolmogorov complexity theory. There are only two main publications of Kolmogorov (1965 and 1968-1969) on this topic. So Kolmogorov's…
We explore Leibniz's understanding of the differential calculus, and argue that his methods were more coherent than is generally recognized. The foundations of the historical infinitesimal calculus of Newton and Leibniz have been a target…
The existence of a (p-)optimal propositional proof system is a major open question in (proof) complexity; many people conjecture that such systems do not exist. Krajicek and Pudlak (1989) show that this question is equivalent to the…
The concept of "logical depth" introduced by Charles H. Bennett (1988) seems to capture, at least partially, the notion of organized complexity, so central in big history. More precisely, the increase in organized complexity refers here to…
Recently the theory of communication developed by Shannon has been extended to the quantum realm by exploiting the rules of quantum theory. This latter stems on complex vector spaces. However complex (as well as real) numbers are just…
I argue for a full mathematisation of the physical theory, including its axioms, which must contain no physical primitives. In provocative words: "physics from no physics". Although this may seem an oxymoron, it is the royal road to keep…
This chapter does not deal with specific tools and techniques for managing complex systems, but proposes some basic concepts that help us to think and speak about complexity. We review classical thinking and its intrinsic drawbacks when…
The history of computability theory and and the history of analysis are surprisingly intertwined since the beginning of the twentieth century. For one, \'Emil Borel discussed his ideas on computable real number functions in his introduction…