BeholdTheTruth
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Editorial Reviews
Book Description
This book defines and develops a unifying principle of physics, that of 'extreme physical information'. The information in question is, perhaps surprisingly, not Shannon or Boltzmann entropy but, rather, Fisher information, a simple concept little known to physicists. Both statistical and physical properties of Fisher information are developed. This information is shown to be a physical measure of disorder, sharing with entropy the property of monotonic change with time. The information concept is applied 'phenomenally' to derive most known physics, from statistical mechanics and thermodynamics to quantum mechanics, the Einstein field equations, and quantum gravity. Many new physical relations and concepts are developed, including new definitions of disorder, time and temperature. The information principle is based upon a new theory of measurement, one which incorporates the observer into the phenomenon that he/she observes. The 'request' for data creates the law that, ultimately, gives rise to the data. The observer creates his or her local reality.
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Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Clarifying physics, June 22, 2002
Reviewer: Jan Kahre from Helsinki Finland
"Physics from Fisher Information" is a unification, indeed. The author derives the physical laws for such different fields as quantum mechanics, classical electromechanics, general relativity and statistical mechanics from the single powerful principle of Extreme Physical Information (EPI). This principle probably goes deeper than merely a mathematical similarity between the laws, which as such already helps to grasp the full picture of physics. Personally, I think it's a pity this clarifying book was not written yet when I was a student of physics. To miss this book, is to miss something essential.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
Well-written and important, but keep math texts handy, May 29, 2000
Reviewer: Roger Cox (see more about me)
This is a compilation of Roy Frieden's work in major physics journals over the last decade deriving the basic laws of physics - relativistic quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, gravitation, statistical thermodynamics - from a quantity (used by mathematical statisticians and by hardly anyone else) called Fisher Information. He derives the Klein-Gordon equation, Schroedinger wave equations, Maxwell's equations, DeWitt-Wheeler law of quantum gravity, and various statistical thermodynamics laws. Whew. Basically, while folks have focused in the past on Shannon information and entropy (all global measures), Frieden's worked on Fisher information which is a local measure (e.g. based on a derivative). Optimization of functionals of Fisher information gives differential equations as results, which become laws of physics. Cute.
Anyone with a Bachelors in Engineering would have been exposed to enough physics to understand what Frieden has done. The mathematics is at senior-level math/grad level engineering level. Well-written and not at all cryptic, Frieden goes out of his way to motivate his arguments. In fact, Roy spends 100 pages in preparation and discussion before he even gets to his first real derivation.
Operations Researchers (like me), Applied Mathematicians, EE Control Theory types and Statisticians will find the mathematics pretty comfortable...even if we don't understand all the physics implications. Philosophical types with strong math backgrounds can profitably wade through the text just to get a flavor of his arguments.
Cambridge *really* wanted to publish this textbook. They even included Frieden's umm..errr...interesting pencil sketches of himself and other luminaries. Check out the New Scientist archives for an article in January 1999 on Frieden's work.
One warning. This is *not* light reading. Those looking for the "Tao of Fisher Information" will have to wait for some of us to write a pop sci version of his work. If you want to get a feeling for Frieden's work before you buy the book, read the articles "Estimation of distribution laws, and physical laws, by a principle of extremized physical information", Physica A, 198 (1993) 262-338 or "Lagrangians of physics and the game of Fisher-information transfer", Phys Rev E, 52(3), Sept 1995, 2274-2286.
8 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
Fisher knowledge is the only knowledge, February 20, 1999
Reviewer: Earl Delaventura (earldel@cyberdude.com) from Badaxe, USA
With my advanced copy of this wonderful book, I can truly say that all physics ends here. I foresee every field of science laying down their texts and proclaiming this one as the end all be all. A must read for anyone.
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
This book defines and develops a unifying principle of physics, that of 'extreme physical information'. The information in question is, perhaps surprisingly, not Shannon or Boltzmann entropy but, rather, Fisher information, a simple concept little known to physicists. Both statistical and physical properties of Fisher information are developed. This information is shown to be a physical measure of disorder, sharing with entropy the property of monotonic change with time. The information concept is applied 'phenomenally' to derive most known physics, from statistical mechanics and thermodynamics to quantum mechanics, the Einstein field equations, and quantum gravity. Many new physical relations and concepts are developed, including new definitions of disorder, time and temperature. The information principle is based upon a new theory of measurement, one which incorporates the observer into the phenomenon that he/she observes. The 'request' for data creates the law that, ultimately, gives rise to the data. The observer creates his or her local reality.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Clarifying physics, June 22, 2002
Reviewer: Jan Kahre from Helsinki Finland
"Physics from Fisher Information" is a unification, indeed. The author derives the physical laws for such different fields as quantum mechanics, classical electromechanics, general relativity and statistical mechanics from the single powerful principle of Extreme Physical Information (EPI). This principle probably goes deeper than merely a mathematical similarity between the laws, which as such already helps to grasp the full picture of physics. Personally, I think it's a pity this clarifying book was not written yet when I was a student of physics. To miss this book, is to miss something essential.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
Well-written and important, but keep math texts handy, May 29, 2000
Reviewer: Roger Cox (see more about me)
This is a compilation of Roy Frieden's work in major physics journals over the last decade deriving the basic laws of physics - relativistic quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, gravitation, statistical thermodynamics - from a quantity (used by mathematical statisticians and by hardly anyone else) called Fisher Information. He derives the Klein-Gordon equation, Schroedinger wave equations, Maxwell's equations, DeWitt-Wheeler law of quantum gravity, and various statistical thermodynamics laws. Whew. Basically, while folks have focused in the past on Shannon information and entropy (all global measures), Frieden's worked on Fisher information which is a local measure (e.g. based on a derivative). Optimization of functionals of Fisher information gives differential equations as results, which become laws of physics. Cute.
Anyone with a Bachelors in Engineering would have been exposed to enough physics to understand what Frieden has done. The mathematics is at senior-level math/grad level engineering level. Well-written and not at all cryptic, Frieden goes out of his way to motivate his arguments. In fact, Roy spends 100 pages in preparation and discussion before he even gets to his first real derivation.
Operations Researchers (like me), Applied Mathematicians, EE Control Theory types and Statisticians will find the mathematics pretty comfortable...even if we don't understand all the physics implications. Philosophical types with strong math backgrounds can profitably wade through the text just to get a flavor of his arguments.
Cambridge *really* wanted to publish this textbook. They even included Frieden's umm..errr...interesting pencil sketches of himself and other luminaries. Check out the New Scientist archives for an article in January 1999 on Frieden's work.
One warning. This is *not* light reading. Those looking for the "Tao of Fisher Information" will have to wait for some of us to write a pop sci version of his work. If you want to get a feeling for Frieden's work before you buy the book, read the articles "Estimation of distribution laws, and physical laws, by a principle of extremized physical information", Physica A, 198 (1993) 262-338 or "Lagrangians of physics and the game of Fisher-information transfer", Phys Rev E, 52(3), Sept 1995, 2274-2286.
8 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
Fisher knowledge is the only knowledge, February 20, 1999
Reviewer: Earl Delaventura (earldel@cyberdude.com) from Badaxe, USA
With my advanced copy of this wonderful book, I can truly say that all physics ends here. I foresee every field of science laying down their texts and proclaiming this one as the end all be all. A must read for anyone.
