Stephen Wolfram

JANUARY 31, 2023

It began partly as an empirical law, and partly as something abstractly constructed on the basis of the idea of molecules, that nobody at the time knew for sure existed. But, first and foremost, the story of the Second Law is the story of a great intellectual achievement of the mid-19th century.

Energy 88

Energy Physics Argumentation Mathematics 88

Stephen Wolfram

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

For three centuries theoretical models had been based on the fairly narrow set of constructs provided by mathematical equations, and particularly calculus. Sometimes they have been based on constructing programs to reproduce behavior. In A New Kind of Science I cataloged and studied minimal kinds of models of many types.

Computer 55

Computer Mathematics Science Sciences 55

Stephen Wolfram

AUGUST 22, 2023

It didn’t help that his knowledge of physics was at best spotty (and, for example, I don’t think he ever really learned calculus). He was going for what he saw as the big prize: using them to “construct the universe”. But it also led him to the idea that the universe must be a giant cellular automaton—whose program he could invent.

Computer 67

Computer Physics Science Sciences 67