Gravity, long considered one of nature’s fundamental forces, may be more than just an invisible thread holding the universe together. Researchers suggest that gravity could be an echo of a more fundamental law – the second law of infodynamics. This concept proposes that the universe operates under a computer-like code, where information entropy is reduced or stays static within any given closed system.
The idea is based on information theory, which has become increasingly popular in physics research. The second law of infodynamics stipulates that information entropy will decrease or stay stable in a closed system, unlike the popular second law of thermodynamics, which dictates increasing physical entropy.
Consider a cooling cup of coffee: energy flows from hot to cold until equilibrium is reached, reducing the spread of energies per molecule and decreasing information entropy. This process mirrors what happens when particles come together under gravitational attraction, compacting information and making it more manageable.
In simulations, this efficiency is achieved by compacting information in “cells” – basic units containing fundamental information about the universe. When items combine to form a single entity, information becomes simpler again. The universe tends to naturally seek states of minimal information entropy, which creates an entropic “informational force” equivalent to Newton’s law of gravitation.
This theory builds on earlier studies and suggests that the universe could be running on cosmic software, with maximum efficiency and symmetry being expected. While definitive evidence for a simulated reality remains elusive, our universe seems to behave like a computational process, where gravity emerges from computational rules.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-universe-is-suspiciously-like-a-computer-simulation-physicist-says