FW: SFI Seminar: Complexity, Parallel Computation, and Statistical Physics

Posted by Stephen Guerin on Jun 05, 2006; 7:10pm
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/FW-SFI-Seminar-Complexity-Parallel-Computation-and-Statistical-Physics-tp521927.html

Has anyone seen any papers on logical depth in the context of agent-based
modeling? I know we could talk about n agents * t steps * a rough
description of agent and environment complexity, but I was wondering if
anyone's done some more formal work...

-Steve

> *** SFI SEMINAR ***
>
> Wednesday, June 7, 2006  .  12:15 pm  .  Medium Conference Room
>
> Complexity, Parallel Computation, and Statistical Physics
> Jonathan Machta
>
> Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
>
> Abstract
>
> The intuition that a long history is required for the
> emergence of complexity in natural systems is formalized
> using the notion of depth. The depth of a system is defined
> in terms of the number of parallel computational steps needed
> to simulate it. Depth provides an objective, irreducible
> measure of history applicable to systems of the kind studied
> in statistical physics. It is argued that physical complexity
> cannot occur in the absence of substantial depth and that
> depth is a useful proxy for physical complexity. The ideas
> are illustrated for a variety of systems in statistical physics.
>
> http://www.santafe.edu/events/abstract/445
>