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Fredkin also worked at the intersection of theoretical issues in the physics of computation with computational models of physics. He invented the SALT Cellular
Automata family. Dan Miller designed and programmed the Busy Boxes implementation of Salt, with assistance from Suresh Kumar Devanathan. The
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Fredkin worked with a number of companies in the computer field and held academic positions at a number of universities. He was a computer programmer, a pilot, an advisor to businesses and governments, and a physicist. His main interests concerned digital computer-like models of basic processes in
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and as a result, the family was relatively poor. At times he lived with other families or with his older sister. Eventually, his father remarried, and he and his sister moved back in. As a child, he was both entrepreneurial and interested in science and how things work. He did various weekend and
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Pancomputationalists believe that biology reduces to chemistry which reduces to physics which reduces to the computation of information. Fredkin's career and achievements had much of their motivation in digital philosophy, a particular type of "pancomputationalism" described in
Fredkin's papers,
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Fredkin's mother and father were both
Russian immigrants who met in Los Angeles, and he was the youngest child of four. His mother was a concert pianist, although she did not perform professionally. She died from cancer when he was 11. His father was a businessman but had lost everything in the
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after-school things to earn money, eventually handling a large newspaper delivery route. At age 10 he bought chemistry supplies and made his own fireworks, which were then illegal in Los
Angeles. He did poorly in school because he didn't do homework. He graduated from
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computer prototype at the
Eastern Joint Computer Conference in Boston, in December 1959, Fredkin recommended that BBN purchase the very first PDP-1 to support research projects at BBN. The new hardware was initially delivered with no software whatsoever.
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a semester early so that he could earn money for
Caltech tuition and living expenses. Caltech later told him he had been admitted with the worst high school grades they had ever seen. He quit Caltech partway through his sophomore year.
642:"Edward Fredkin, 88, Who Saw the Universe as One Big Computer, Dies - An influential M.I.T. professor and an outside-the-box scientific theorist, he gained fame with unorthodox views as a pioneer in digital physics"
337:(DECUS) in 1961, and participated in its early projects. Working directly with Ben Gurley, the designer of the PDP-1, Fredkin designed significant modifications to the hardware to support time-sharing via the
356:, an early computer technology company which developed high-precision film-to-digital scanners, as well as other leading-edge hardware. The company became publicly traded and Fredkin became a millionaire.
573:, given annually to the person who has been judged to have made the most progress in a scientific field in the United States during that year. In 1999, CMU established the Fredkin professorship.
398:, which is the study of discrete models of fundamental process in physics. Fredkin has been a Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science at CMU, and also a visiting scientist at
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early SALT models are 2+1 dimensional quasi-physical, reversible, universal cellular automata, that are second order in time, and that follow rules that model CPT reversibility.
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Fredkin's initial focus was physics; however, he became involved with computers in 1956 when he was sent by the Air Force, where he had trained as a jet pilot, to the
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including "Introduction to
Digital Philosophy", "On the Soul", "Finite Nature", "A New Cosmogony", and "Digital Mechanics".
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data structure, radio transponders for vehicle identification, the concept of computer navigation for automobiles, the
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Miller, Daniel B.; Fredkin, Edward (2005), "Two-state, Reversible, Universal
Cellular Automata in Three Dimensions",
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A profile of
Fredkin, along with a readable explanation of some of his theories, can be found in the first part of
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called FRAP (Free of Rules
Assembly Program, also sometimes called Fredkin's Assembly Program), and its first
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Fredkin was broadly interested in computation, including hardware and software. He was the inventor of the
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Hagar, Ami (2016). "Ed Fredkin and the Physics of Information: An Inside Story of an Outsider Scientist".
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Fredkin served as the founder or CEO of a diverse set of companies, including Information International,
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1179:"Computer Science Professor Tom Mitchell Named Carnegie Mellon's Fredkin Professor of AI and Learning"
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at MIT. (Project MAC was renamed the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science in 1976.) He spent a year at
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system, which Digital called the "Sequence Break". He went on to become a contributor in the field of
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about computing and learning quantum mechanics from him. Then he was a Professor of Physics at
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1346:"Remembering the Improbable Life of Ed Fredkin (1934–2023) and His World of Ideas and Stories"
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Everything in physics and physical reality must have a digital informational representation.
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All changes in physical nature are consequences of digital informational processes.
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has a counterpart in a static/dynamic soul defined in terms of digital philosophy.
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on channel 7), and The Reliable Water Company (manufacturer of advanced sea water
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represented the essential breakthrough. In more recent work, he used the term
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394:(CMU) over several decades. His later academic interests were in the area of
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402:. As of 2022, he was Distinguished Career Professor of Robotics at CMU.
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Two-state, Reversible, Universal Cellular Automata in Three Dimensions
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During his career, Fredkin was a professor of computer science at the
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1027:"Edward Fredkin, MIT professor and Project MAC luminary, dies at 88"
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589:(1988). The section of the book covering Fredkin was excerpted in
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Restoration Project, which was able to restore and reactivate the
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Fredkin's digital philosophy contains several fundamental ideas:
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224:(1969), mentioned the importance of reversible computation, the
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984:- Institute for Software Research - Carnegie Mellon University
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1376:(Article contains extensive biographical content on Fredkin.)
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409:, New England Television Corporation (owner of Boston's then
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897:"Laboratory for Computer Science (LCS) | MIT History"
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309:. On completing his service in 1958, Fredkin was hired by
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Fredkin Prize World Champion team 1997 and Chess Pioneers
1204:"Three Scientists and Their Gods in The Atlantic Monthly"
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363:(who he had met at BBN) recruited Fredkin to work at the
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American physicist and computer scientist (1934–2023)
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Public Relations Office, School of Computer Science
390:Fredkin had formal and informal associations with
191:(October 2, 1934 – June 13, 2023) was an American
206:Fredkin's primary contributions included work on
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1106:"The Mouse That Roared: PDP-1 Celebration Event"
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375:as a Fairchild Distinguished Scholar, teaching
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341:. He invented and designed the first modern
199:and businessman who was an early pioneer of
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1185:. Carnegie Mellon University. 8 April 1999
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1466:California Institute of Technology alumni
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848:. Computer History Museum. Archived from
335:Digital Equipment Computer Users' Society
247:, and a Research Professor of Physics at
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980:"Visitors and Post-Doctoral Associates"
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456:Digital Philosophy (DP) is one type of
452:Fredkin's version of digital philosophy
239:, a Fairchild Distinguished Scholar at
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1258:, Ischia, Italy: ACM, pp. 45–51,
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558:, on June 13, 2023, at the age of 88.
243:, a distinguished career professor at
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237:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
167:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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333:(OS). He organized and founded the
755:Simson Garfinkel (April 27, 2021).
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1476:Carnegie Mellon University faculty
1451:20th-century American philosophers
1446:21st-century American philosophers
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872:"Calteches Library - Robotics PDF"
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693:"Information about Edward Fredkin"
97:California Institute of Technology
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566:In 1984, Fredkin was awarded the
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407:Three Rivers Computer Corporation
46:Fredkin working on PDP-1, c. 1960
654:from the original on 5 July 2023
1411:Information International, Inc.
1366:"Did the Universe Just Happen?"
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119:Second-order cellular automaton
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1108:. YouTube.com. 1 August 2012.
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640:Williams, Alex (4 July 2023).
313:to work at the research firm,
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1399:Did the Universe Just Happen?
1364:Wright, Robert (April 1988).
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513:Nature is finite and digital.
281:avoid being drafted into the
1441:American computer scientists
986:. Carnegie Mellon University
720:"Oral History of Ed Fredkin"
674:Digital Philosophy web site.
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1491:Scientists from Los Angeles
1084:"PDP-1 Restoration Project"
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608:was modeled after Fredkin.
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1231:. Stanford Crimson Article
1158:Carnegie Mellon University
1134:. Boston.com. 21 June 2023
568:Carnegie Mellon University
392:Carnegie Mellon University
245:Carnegie Mellon University
177:Capital Technologies, Inc.
172:Carnegie Mellon University
1471:Boston University faculty
1318:University of Texas Press
1309:Information & Culture
1049:Miller & Fredkin 2005
780:. Computer History Museum
729:. Computer History Museum
534:PDP-1 Restoration Project
317:(BBN). After seeing the
315:Bolt Beranek & Newman
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267:John Marshall High School
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1350:Stephen Wolfram Writings
958:"MIT Visiting Scientist"
598:According to biographer
571:Dickson Prize in Science
556:Brookline, Massachusetts
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255:Early life and education
134:Dickson Prize in Science
85:Brookline, Massachusetts
1274:10.1145/1062261.1062271
1154:"Dickson Prize Winners"
544:Computer History Museum
347:Artificial Intelligence
339:BBN Time-Sharing System
289:where he worked on the
275:United States Air Force
273:In 1952, he joined the
262:1929 stock market crash
66:Los Angeles, California
1387:Digital Philosophy.org
434:Billiard-Ball Computer
325:Fredkin wrote a PDP-1
307:MIT Lincoln Laboratory
287:MIT Lincoln Laboratory
115:Billiard-ball computer
494:scientific empiricism
486:philosophical realism
1461:Cellular automatists
592:The Atlantic Monthly
538:Fredkin chaired the
438:reversible computing
400:MIT Media Laboratory
352:In 1962, he founded
208:reversible computing
727:computerhistory.org
577:Cultural references
462:pancomputationalism
379:-winning physicist
277:(USAF) to become a
1407:by Edward Fredkin,
1392:2017-07-29 at the
1344:(22 August 2023).
1062:"Fredkin's papers"
852:on 29 October 2013
718:Hendrie, Gardner.
699:on 29 October 2013
679:2017-07-29 at the
647:The New York Times
327:assembler language
311:J. C. R. Licklider
230:digital philosophy
193:computer scientist
936:"Basic Biography"
618:Fredkin's paradox
562:Awards and honors
396:digital mechanics
385:Boston University
249:Boston University
221:Calculating Space
212:cellular automata
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142:Scientific career
111:Fredkin's paradox
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553:
537:
502:
498:
490:reductionism
455:
446:
430:Fredkin gate
423:
419:desalination
404:
389:
358:
351:
324:
304:
300:
272:
258:
234:
229:
226:Fredkin gate
219:
205:
188:
187:
163:Institutions
141:
107:Fredkin gate
79:(2023-06-13)
1456:Ontologists
1436:2023 deaths
1431:1934 births
1355:7 September
1320:: 419–443.
1248:Works cited
1229:"War Games"
1029:. MIT CSAIL
1005:"Channel 7"
470:determinism
377:Nobel Prize
369:Project MAC
216:Konrad Zuse
1425:Categories
1189:2022-02-01
990:2022-02-01
916:. Stanford
825:"Projects"
624:References
482:naturalism
436:Model for
432:, and the
413:affiliate
283:Korean War
158:, business
58:1934-10-02
877:. Caltech
474:mechanism
421:plants).
359:In 1968,
343:interrupt
302:physics.
218:'s book,
197:physicist
1390:Archived
1334:19827674
1292:14082792
1235:14 March
1213:16 March
1110:Archived
1068:21 March
1011:11 March
761:MIT News
703:15 March
677:Archived
652:Archived
612:See also
605:WarGames
214:. While
1163:2 March
1138:23 June
1116:29 June
1090:29 June
964:2 March
942:7 March
920:2 March
881:7 March
856:7 March
846:"PDP-1"
830:2 March
806:7 March
784:6 March
778:"PDP-1"
466:atomism
373:Caltech
241:Caltech
156:physics
18:Fredkin
1332:
1290:
1280:
733:6 July
658:6 July
492:, and
478:monism
349:(AI).
297:Career
232:(DP).
174:(CMU)
169:(MIT)
148:Fields
130:Awards
87:, U.S.
68:, U.S.
1330:S2CID
1316:(3).
1288:S2CID
1260:arXiv
1033:8 Aug
960:. MIT
938:. CMU
875:(PDF)
802:. CMU
723:(PDF)
550:Death
540:PDP-1
319:PDP-1
1357:2023
1278:ISBN
1237:2012
1215:2012
1165:2012
1140:2023
1118:2016
1092:2016
1070:2012
1035:2023
1013:2012
966:2012
944:2012
922:2012
883:2012
858:2012
832:2012
808:2012
786:2012
735:2023
705:2012
660:2023
522:soul
426:trie
415:WNEV
210:and
136:1984
123:Trie
74:Died
52:Born
1322:doi
1270:doi
585:by
411:CBS
1427::
1368:.
1348:.
1328:.
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1286:,
1276:,
1268:,
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480:,
476:,
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