D. net-surprisals ala Tribus

Net-surprisals ala Tribus: Correlations from reversible thermalization

Proceedings New England Complex Systems Institute

5th International Conference on Complex Systems (2004) Quincy MA

P. Fraundorf 

Abstract:  The Bayesian vision of net surprisals underlying the connection between energy and information, put forward by Myron Tribus four decades ago, offers a robust measure of correlation with "second law teeth". A special case is mutual information, whose widespread application to the study of correlated codes, quantum computing, and nonlinear dynamics is grounded in thermodynamic consideration of correlated subsystems. Surprisal physics can help students quantify finite departures from the ambient, and explain information engines which reversibly thermalize available work to literally power the natural history of invention. It may prove useful for tracking heirarchical emergence in complex systems, and for exploring code-excitation complementarity.

References:

• • P. Fraundorf, "Net surprisals ala Tribus: correlations from reversible thermalization" (poster/manuscript for ICCS 2004 in Quincy MA, May 2004).