Moore’s Clock
Considering a stochastic clock – a chronograph that ticks randomly according to an underpinning ticking rate – we address the durations between its successive ticking epochs and ask: when are the inter-ticking durations independent of each other? We establish that this question has two answers: equi...
Saved in:
Published in | Physica A Vol. 541; p. 123619 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Elsevier B.V
01.03.2020
|
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Considering a stochastic clock – a chronograph that ticks randomly according to an underpinning ticking rate – we address the durations between its successive ticking epochs and ask: when are the inter-ticking durations independent of each other? We establish that this question has two answers: equilibrium and non-equilibrium. The equilibrium answer is termed Benchmark Clock, it is characterized by a constant ticking rate, and it corresponds to the time-flow of a “steady-state universe” model. The non-equilibrium answer is termed Moore’s Clock, it is characterized by an exponential ticking rate, and it corresponds to the time-flow of a “big-bang universe” model. In the context of stochastic clocks, Moore’s Clock is the manifestation of Moore’s Law of accelerating change . This paper explores the rich statistical structure of Moore’s Clock, and pinpoints the dramatic differences between the stationary Benchmark Clock and the non-stationary Moore’s Clock.
•Clocks that tick randomly over the real line are considered.•Only two such clocks have independent inter-ticking durations.•The two clocks are characterized by constant and exponential ticking rates.•We term the latter “Moore’s Clock” and explore its rich temporal structure. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0378-4371 1873-2119 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.physa.2019.123619 |