Post by D_M-01 on Apr 28, 2013 22:20:50 GMT
In this explanation I am going to use Powder Game as an analogy because I feel it fits quite well with this theory. Take a moment to think about the structure of Powder Game. Think about each individual element and each entity. Now, think about how each element has specific properties to interact with the virtual space it is inside. Obviously, these properties were programmed into each element through the use of Java. You will notice that these properties are fundamental and never change. Lava will react with water to create stone every single time, as will fire burn oil each time it makes contact. The only way these properties could change is if the source code in Java was changed.
The entities and elements inside Powder Game are not the only things possessing fundamental qualities. Powder Game also has gravity and time, each possessing their own distinct properties. Gravity "pulls" the elements and entities towards the surface, and time changes the frame of the program to display motion, or the "progression" of time. These two concepts are observable but not tangible, just like in our world. But like the elements and entities, the properties of gravity and time can also be altered. Gravity can be changed to push elements and entities away from the surface, and time can be "sped up" or "paused". Air, wind, and drag all simulate force (energy) and have qualities comparable to gravity and time, yet they are the result of either the elements "reacting" due to their given properties, or by an outside "controller".
Take a step back from Powder Game and observe our entire universe. Like the universe, Powder Game possesses laws and concepts like gravity and time (although in a much simpler form). It also contains substances which can be related to our world, including vaporized, gaseous water, liquids like mercury, and solids like stone. If given enough time and dedication towards realism (and a powerful enough computer), Powder Game could simulate particles on the atomic scale. The difference between Powder Game and our universe is that we decide what elements and entities are placed inside the virtual "vacuum" of Powder Game and what gets taken away. There are no anti-particles like in our universe that cancel out regular particles, although they could be programmed to do so.
We will now take a dive into quantum theory and virtual particles. If you are unfamiliar with what a virtual particle is you can look at the Wikipedia page. We know that virtual particles seemingly come into and out of existence randomly from a vacuum in our universe due to quantum fluctuations of spacetime and because of the time-energy uncertainty principle. These virtual particles have randomized sizes and properties and possess an anti-particle counterpart. Virtual particles that last for extended amounts of time are no longer classified as virtual particles and instead just regular particles, so you could literally call every particle in our universe a "virtual" particle, but for convenience we separate the ones that last for small periods of time.
The question comes down to where these virtual particles came from. This is where the Powder Game analogy makes sense. In Powder Game you can make an element "exist" and then no longer exist with the "Erase" function. There is no limit to the amount of particles you can create (except for the dot limit, but with a large and powerful enough computer the limit would be far too large to have any substantial relevance). This makes even more sense if you understand basic concepts of computer and object-oriented programming. Objects are programmed to have classes that define specific properties. Properties can include virtually anything imaginable. An object can be an atom, time, force, and even the space where the virtual world occurs in. Randomization of these variables is also easily done with simple computing functions.
With this all in mind, it can be clearly seen how the universe could have been programmed. Given a powerful enough computer, a person (whom we will label as "God") or a group of persons could have programmed a universe simply by creating a process that would use two simple randomization functions: one for the rate at which virtual particles appear then disappear, and one for the properties each virtual particle possesses. God could easily have left the program running for several billion years to get where the universe we live in is at today. They could also easily have a tool to fast-forward time, except on a far faster scale than that of Powder Game's. It may very well be possible that they could choose to interact with the universe by making substances exist from nowhere at any place, yet with a cosmos of this scale I highly doubt this God has any interest in toiling with the affairs of mere humans personally.
Thoughts and inputs on this theory are highly appreciated.
The entities and elements inside Powder Game are not the only things possessing fundamental qualities. Powder Game also has gravity and time, each possessing their own distinct properties. Gravity "pulls" the elements and entities towards the surface, and time changes the frame of the program to display motion, or the "progression" of time. These two concepts are observable but not tangible, just like in our world. But like the elements and entities, the properties of gravity and time can also be altered. Gravity can be changed to push elements and entities away from the surface, and time can be "sped up" or "paused". Air, wind, and drag all simulate force (energy) and have qualities comparable to gravity and time, yet they are the result of either the elements "reacting" due to their given properties, or by an outside "controller".
Take a step back from Powder Game and observe our entire universe. Like the universe, Powder Game possesses laws and concepts like gravity and time (although in a much simpler form). It also contains substances which can be related to our world, including vaporized, gaseous water, liquids like mercury, and solids like stone. If given enough time and dedication towards realism (and a powerful enough computer), Powder Game could simulate particles on the atomic scale. The difference between Powder Game and our universe is that we decide what elements and entities are placed inside the virtual "vacuum" of Powder Game and what gets taken away. There are no anti-particles like in our universe that cancel out regular particles, although they could be programmed to do so.
We will now take a dive into quantum theory and virtual particles. If you are unfamiliar with what a virtual particle is you can look at the Wikipedia page. We know that virtual particles seemingly come into and out of existence randomly from a vacuum in our universe due to quantum fluctuations of spacetime and because of the time-energy uncertainty principle. These virtual particles have randomized sizes and properties and possess an anti-particle counterpart. Virtual particles that last for extended amounts of time are no longer classified as virtual particles and instead just regular particles, so you could literally call every particle in our universe a "virtual" particle, but for convenience we separate the ones that last for small periods of time.
The question comes down to where these virtual particles came from. This is where the Powder Game analogy makes sense. In Powder Game you can make an element "exist" and then no longer exist with the "Erase" function. There is no limit to the amount of particles you can create (except for the dot limit, but with a large and powerful enough computer the limit would be far too large to have any substantial relevance). This makes even more sense if you understand basic concepts of computer and object-oriented programming. Objects are programmed to have classes that define specific properties. Properties can include virtually anything imaginable. An object can be an atom, time, force, and even the space where the virtual world occurs in. Randomization of these variables is also easily done with simple computing functions.
With this all in mind, it can be clearly seen how the universe could have been programmed. Given a powerful enough computer, a person (whom we will label as "God") or a group of persons could have programmed a universe simply by creating a process that would use two simple randomization functions: one for the rate at which virtual particles appear then disappear, and one for the properties each virtual particle possesses. God could easily have left the program running for several billion years to get where the universe we live in is at today. They could also easily have a tool to fast-forward time, except on a far faster scale than that of Powder Game's. It may very well be possible that they could choose to interact with the universe by making substances exist from nowhere at any place, yet with a cosmos of this scale I highly doubt this God has any interest in toiling with the affairs of mere humans personally.
Thoughts and inputs on this theory are highly appreciated.
