Simulating physics with computers

On the program it says this is a keynote speech--and I don't know what a keynote speech is. I do not intend in any way to suggest what should be in this meeting as a keynote of the subjects or anything like that. I have my own things to say and to talk about and there's no implication that anybody needs to talk about the same thing or anything like it. So what I want to talk about is what Mike Dertouzos suggested that nobody would talk about. I want to talk about the problem of simulating physics with computers and I mean that in a specific way which I am going to explain. The reason for doing this is something that I learned about from Ed Fredkin, and my entire interest in the subject has been inspired by him. It has to do with learning something about the possibilities of computers, and also something about possibilities in physics. If we suppose that we know all the physical laws perfectly, of course we don't have to pay any attention to computers. It's interesting anyway to entertain oneself with the idea that we've got something to learn about physical laws; and if I take a relaxed view here (after all I 'm here and not at home) I'll admit that we don't understand everything. The first question is, What kind of computer are we going to use to simulate physics? Computer theory has been developed to a point where it realizes that it doesn't make any difference; when you get to a universal computer, it doesn't matter how it's manufactured, how it's actually made. Therefore my question is, Can physics be simulated by a universal computer? I would like to have the elements of this computer locally interconnected, and therefore sort of think about cellular automata as an example (but I don't want to force it). But I do want something involved with the

[1]  R. Feynman.  The principle of least action in quantum mechanics , 1942 .

[2]  J. Wheeler,et al.  Interaction with the Absorber as the Mechanism of Radiation , 1945 .

[3]  NEUTRON DIFFUSION IN A SPACE LATTICE OF FISSIONABLE AND ABSORBING MATERIALS , 1946 .

[4]  R. Feynman.  A THEOREM AND ITS APPLICATION TO FINITE TAMPERS , 1946 .

[5]  K. Haller.  Quantum Electrodynamics , 1979, Nature.

[6]  R. Feynman,et al.  Space-Time Approach to Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics , 1948 .

[7]  R. Feynman.  Relativistic Cut-Off for Quantum Electrodynamics , 1948 .

[8]  R. Feynman.  The Theory of Positrons , 1949 .

[9]  R. Feynman.  Space - time approach to quantum electrodynamics , 1949 .

[10]  N. Metropolis,et al.  Equations of State of Elements Based on the Generalized Fermi-Thomas Theory , 1949 .

[11]  M. Kac.  On distributions of certain Wiener functionals , 1949 .

[12]  J. Wheeler,et al.  Classical Electrodynamics in Terms of Direct Interparticle Action , 1949 .

[13]  R. Feynman.  Mathematical Formulation of the Quantum Theory of Electromagnetic Interaction , 1950 .

[14]  R. Feynman.  An Operator calculus having applications in quantum electrodynamics , 1951 .

[15]  Ryoichi Kikuchi,et al.  Transition of Liquid Helium , 1954 .

[16]  R P Feynman,et al.  Science and the Open Channel. , 1956, Science.

[17]  R. Hofstadter,et al.  THE STRUCTURE OF THE PROTON , 1956 .

[18]  R. Feynman,et al.  Theory of inelastic scattering of cold neutrons from liquid helium , 1957 .

[19]  Julian Schwinger,et al.  Selected papers on quantum electrodynamics , 1958 .

[20]  Richard Phillips Feynman,et al.  The Theory Of Fundamental Processes , 1961 .

[21]  R. Feynman,et al.  Mapping experiments with r mutants of bacteriophage T4D. , 1962, Genetics.

[22]  R. Feynman,et al.  Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals , 1965 .

[23]  R. Feynman.  The development of the space-time view of quantum electrodynamics. , 1966, Science.

[24]  Charles H. Bennett,et al.  Logical reversibility of computation , 1973 .

[25]  R. Feynman.  Structure of the proton. , 1974, Science.

[26]  O. Seeberg.  Statistical Mechanics. — A Set of Lectures , 1975 .

[27]  Lutz Priese,et al.  ON A SIMPLE COMBINATORIAL STRUCTURE SUFFICIENT FOR SYBLYING NONTRIVIAL SELF-REPRODUCTION , 1976 .

[28]  F. Dyson,et al.  Disturbing The Universe , 1979 .

[29]  Charles H. Bennett,et al.  The thermodynamics of computation—a review , 1982 .

[30]  Spencer R. Weart.  The road to Los Alamos , 1982 .

[31]  T. Toffoli,et al.  Conservative logic , 2002, Collision-Based Computing.