Are there limits to information?
These articles are part of our Information about information project. With recent advances in information technology it seems that there is no limit to how much smaller and better computer chips can get. But is this really true? We asked Jacob Bekenstein, an expert on the subject, and here is what he told us. We also bring you a related article from FQXi who are our partners on this project. Happy reading!
The limits of information — Jacob Bekenstein tells us why there is only so much information you can cram into a region of space with a finite amount of matter and what it's got to do with black holes.
The question of whether black holes can swallow up information has puzzled physicists for some time. Here is an article from the FQXi website that further explores the puzzle.
Black holes: Paradox regained — In 2004 Stephen Hawking famously conceded that black holes do not devour all information when they swallow matter — seemingly resolving the black hole information paradox that had perplexed physicists for decades. But some argue that the paradox remains open and we must abandon our simple picture of spacetime to unravel it.