What 'Architecture' is the brain?
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As processor data and addressing widths have increased overtime from Intel's 4004 4bit processor to the now very common 64bit AMDs and Intels and then on to multicore, this got me on to thinking as to what 'architecture' the human brain might be; if it is at all comparable to a slice of silicon. My own thoughts on the matter are it must be at least a 16 bit/16+ core processor backed up with several 100 GBytes of memory, but with a poor memory management system! My reason for only 16bits is have you ever tried multiplying or dividing two 4 digit numbers in your head? Or tried to remember an eleven digit phone number someone has just told you; hence the poor memory management system? The 16+ cores; well when you think what the brain does consciously and unconsciously and all the parallel processing that takes place, one or two cores just wouldn't be enough.
As I understand it, only a small portion of the human brain is devoted to conscious thought - a massive part is taken up by sight alone, not to mention the subconscious processing your brain does on a constant basis. I don't think it's possible to classify the brain as a single system - it's more like a distributed network or machines that each carry out certain processes and have their own strengths and weaknesses depending on their function.
It definitely isn't definatley
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Dalek Dave wrote:
It's just the hardware that has reliability problems!
Yes, but only while kept close (1 meter or less) to specimens of opposite sex. Turns out to be unpredictable. :) But never had an issue with doing manual transmission. Even in the presence of the said specimen, which actually enhances the capabilities. ;)
“Follow your bliss.” – Joseph Campbell
Rajesh R Subramanian wrote:
) to specimens of opposite sex. Turns out to be unpredictable
hmmm... or so predictable? :)
You can't turn lead into gold, unless you've built yourself a nuclear plant.
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As processor data and addressing widths have increased overtime from Intel's 4004 4bit processor to the now very common 64bit AMDs and Intels and then on to multicore, this got me on to thinking as to what 'architecture' the human brain might be; if it is at all comparable to a slice of silicon. My own thoughts on the matter are it must be at least a 16 bit/16+ core processor backed up with several 100 GBytes of memory, but with a poor memory management system! My reason for only 16bits is have you ever tried multiplying or dividing two 4 digit numbers in your head? Or tried to remember an eleven digit phone number someone has just told you; hence the poor memory management system? The 16+ cores; well when you think what the brain does consciously and unconsciously and all the parallel processing that takes place, one or two cores just wouldn't be enough.
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You can't turn lead into gold, unless you've built yourself a nuclear plant.
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As processor data and addressing widths have increased overtime from Intel's 4004 4bit processor to the now very common 64bit AMDs and Intels and then on to multicore, this got me on to thinking as to what 'architecture' the human brain might be; if it is at all comparable to a slice of silicon. My own thoughts on the matter are it must be at least a 16 bit/16+ core processor backed up with several 100 GBytes of memory, but with a poor memory management system! My reason for only 16bits is have you ever tried multiplying or dividing two 4 digit numbers in your head? Or tried to remember an eleven digit phone number someone has just told you; hence the poor memory management system? The 16+ cores; well when you think what the brain does consciously and unconsciously and all the parallel processing that takes place, one or two cores just wouldn't be enough.
Tapsnapper wrote:
Or tried to remember an eleven digit phone number someone has just told you; hence the poor memory management system?
You do realise that the human brain has better photographic memory, in a sense that we can remember a person's face from now to infinity but forgot the person's name in about three miliseconds....
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It's just the hardware that has reliability problems!
------------------------------------ To eat well in England, you should have a breakfast three times a day. W. Somerset Maugham 1925
I personally think that we just don't know to talk/communicate with our brains so we could benefit of it's entire processing power and capacity . Think about that :)
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I would have to disagree. I understand where you're coming from though, however, my two year old can catch a ball thrown to her, and I would say that she certainly doesn't have any comprehension of metal arithmatic. Maybe this is a case for sub-conscious mental arithmatic coming into play. Like any form of learning, it becomes easier over time, yet the maths would remain the same in the case of catching a ball. Is this a case of the brain refining its calculations?
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As processor data and addressing widths have increased overtime from Intel's 4004 4bit processor to the now very common 64bit AMDs and Intels and then on to multicore, this got me on to thinking as to what 'architecture' the human brain might be; if it is at all comparable to a slice of silicon. My own thoughts on the matter are it must be at least a 16 bit/16+ core processor backed up with several 100 GBytes of memory, but with a poor memory management system! My reason for only 16bits is have you ever tried multiplying or dividing two 4 digit numbers in your head? Or tried to remember an eleven digit phone number someone has just told you; hence the poor memory management system? The 16+ cores; well when you think what the brain does consciously and unconsciously and all the parallel processing that takes place, one or two cores just wouldn't be enough.
Tapsnapper wrote:
16 bit/16+ core processor backed up with several 100 GBytes of memory
If you mean RAM Memory, it must be at least 64bit processor. If you mean Hard Disk Memory, change GBytes to TBytes, imagine how many high definition videos we have on our minds.
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As processor data and addressing widths have increased overtime from Intel's 4004 4bit processor to the now very common 64bit AMDs and Intels and then on to multicore, this got me on to thinking as to what 'architecture' the human brain might be; if it is at all comparable to a slice of silicon. My own thoughts on the matter are it must be at least a 16 bit/16+ core processor backed up with several 100 GBytes of memory, but with a poor memory management system! My reason for only 16bits is have you ever tried multiplying or dividing two 4 digit numbers in your head? Or tried to remember an eleven digit phone number someone has just told you; hence the poor memory management system? The 16+ cores; well when you think what the brain does consciously and unconsciously and all the parallel processing that takes place, one or two cores just wouldn't be enough.
I think it depends on sex. If you are men, then you have like 6 core GPU SLI tech (with chipset GeForce210 ;P ) to work faster with images and yes, like a multiprocessor Intel's 4004, but with turbo button :laugh: and 52k modem for comunication. And for women, like 1 GPU, but Intel's Pentium I, and with Ethernet controller of 1Gbps for communication. Both must have Physic processor for locomotor movement, and algorithms of learning with a Excell database (please do not exceed 65K cell row!! :cool:
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As processor data and addressing widths have increased overtime from Intel's 4004 4bit processor to the now very common 64bit AMDs and Intels and then on to multicore, this got me on to thinking as to what 'architecture' the human brain might be; if it is at all comparable to a slice of silicon. My own thoughts on the matter are it must be at least a 16 bit/16+ core processor backed up with several 100 GBytes of memory, but with a poor memory management system! My reason for only 16bits is have you ever tried multiplying or dividing two 4 digit numbers in your head? Or tried to remember an eleven digit phone number someone has just told you; hence the poor memory management system? The 16+ cores; well when you think what the brain does consciously and unconsciously and all the parallel processing that takes place, one or two cores just wouldn't be enough.
I think that your analogy to integrated circuits is completely off track. Until we know, we can't assume storage type, processing type, or retrieval type. Consider this, to remember something best you must experience it with all five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell). This would indicate that there are at least five processing centers and that they can store information in some type of "overlayed" manner. For example, let's say your brain contains three images of things that you saw that have some similarities. A possible storage mechanism could store the images as a mixed overlay where the similarities intersect (hence most peoples inability at a photographic memory). Now you look at something else and it gets stored, but your brain has already made a correlation to the other three images based not on what you saw, but on what you smelled at the time, overlaying the new image on the other three in the same manner. This type of storage would be far more efficient than a direct storage of memories, and would require a completely different type of retrieval mechanism. However, that retrieval mechanism would be able to correlate memories that defy obvious logic. Just food for thought.
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As processor data and addressing widths have increased overtime from Intel's 4004 4bit processor to the now very common 64bit AMDs and Intels and then on to multicore, this got me on to thinking as to what 'architecture' the human brain might be; if it is at all comparable to a slice of silicon. My own thoughts on the matter are it must be at least a 16 bit/16+ core processor backed up with several 100 GBytes of memory, but with a poor memory management system! My reason for only 16bits is have you ever tried multiplying or dividing two 4 digit numbers in your head? Or tried to remember an eleven digit phone number someone has just told you; hence the poor memory management system? The 16+ cores; well when you think what the brain does consciously and unconsciously and all the parallel processing that takes place, one or two cores just wouldn't be enough.
Human brain: ~4TB (combined memory RAM and HDD) P.S. only 4-5% of that is a RAM Modern (home) computers: 1-2 TB of HDD + 4-8GB of RAM Human brain: bit = 0/1/2/3 (four nucleobases) Modern computers: bit = 0/1 Human brain: byte = 3 nucleobases (gene) Modern computers: byte = 8 bits Human brain: electricity charge speed over a neuron = 80-120m/s Modern computers: electron mobility in semiconductors ~140m/s Human brain: it appears to have several, two main and several with low function in CNS. There are also helping brains in bigger bones. Modern computers: 1-8 CPU with 1-8 cores/several central side processors like FPU; and helping processors like GPU; Human brain: External control - the human on which the brain is installed :laugh: or unknown. The external factor that controls the brain is commonly called soul or brain's owner... Modern computers: controlled by everyone who has access to keyboard, mouse (and power button :)) Software that is able to store ~60 years of pictures (moving pictures=movie), audio, smells, tastes, feeling, emotions and any kind of that on a 4TB the way that stores the information is unique. If you need to catch a 60 years on a cam, you will need 600TB+, so brain is better. The computer usually stops execution when it encounters an error, the brain - not. Execution is persistant through the error states. The computer need to be turned on. After the OS completes loading it does nothing, it is in idle, until the user do something on it. The big question is "who is the brain's user?"