On Sunday 29 May 2005 19:27, Mark Menz wrote:
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle does not apply in a digital enviroment.
In a theoretical environment in which all things are either of "state1" or
"state2", perhaps...
However, in the real world, even "state1" and "state2" are not exact.
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle (HUP) is certainly at work here. You can
not measure "state1" or "state2" exactly for various reasons not the least of
which is HUP. Therefore, "state1" must be different from "state2" by an
amount that is readily distinguishable. A computer works only because
"state1" is different enough from "state2" and their measurements are readily
distinguishable.
Beyond that, the act of forensically duplicating a disk does not adhere to any
2-state environment. Simply by virtue of the fact you are taking an electrical
measurement of the state of a tiny piece of magnetic media (an analog
function) you introduce infinite states. Any of those states that does not
fall into either "state1" or "state2" is lumped into the all-too-familiar
"state3" we know as "disk error" or "can not be read". HUP is at work here in
that "state1"and "state2" must be readily distinguishable from each other and
from "state3". Then, introduce all the connectors, wires, electrical and
magnetic noise, and all the other factors and you certainly have infinite
states, each of which is affected by HUP.
Having said that, you have caused me to re-read the original post and now I
see that HUP is not fitting. The Law of Unintended Consequences is what
really should be applied to the original post. We think we will simply
duplicate a disk but, due to things we may not know or, possibly, can not
control, other consequences occur that allow someone to discover the
duplication was performed.
I was thinking in terms of "uncertainty of our actions" when I should have
been thinking in terms of "unintended consequences of our actions".
--
Clinton E. Troutman
CeTro
Independent Computer Consultant for Home,
Home Office, and Small Business in Fort Worth, Texas
http://cetro.dnsalias.org/
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