RE: seti@home is SORTA WORKING

Rob Harris Cen-IT (Rob.Harris@bournemouth.gov.uk)
Mon, 12 Jul 1999 13:45:20 +0100

       My understanding is that gravitational systems are not
       predictable in the long term (this is called the N-body problem
       in astronomy).  As the SI has perhaps a 600-billion-body problem
       to solve at least 100 billion years into the future, where some
       of the bodies may not follow "natural laws" (i.e. they are SIs
       that decide to change course for independent reasons), this
       could very well take a significant amount of computation.

A system with a load of variables that we can't track at this tech level is not "unpredictable", it is "very hard to predict", if you want to be correct.



This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager.

This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.

www.bournemouth.gov.uk