The energy value of knowledge
Fuel value of tape = (N – I)kTln2
- N is the number of cells
- I is information (Shannon)
Examples
- Random tape (I = N) has no fuel value
- Known tape (I = 0) has maximum fuel value
How much energy do we need to reset the randomized tape?
- (N – I)kTln2 Joules
- Why? Because the thermodynamic process is reversible
- This is Feynman’s tape-erasing machine