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Determine the existence of a general-purpose machine that outputs any physical molecule

Determine whether a general-purpose machine exists that can output any physical molecule (as a physical object rather than a description), thereby clarifying whether Kolmogorov complexity is definable for physical molecules.

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Background

The authors argue that Kolmogorov complexity applies to descriptions of molecules, not to physical molecules themselves, because a general-purpose machine that outputs any physical molecule is not known.

This uncertainty underpins their claim that Kolmogorov complexity is not definable for physical molecules, raising an unresolved question about the physical realizability of universal molecular output devices and the applicability of algorithmic complexity to material objects.

References

Because we do not know of a general-purpose machine that can output any physical molecule (rather than a description of the molecule) the Kolmogorov complexity of a physical molecule is not definable, only the complexity of the molecule's mathematical representation is well-defined.

Assembly Theory and its Relationship with Computational Complexity (2406.12176 - Kempes et al., 18 Jun 2024) in Kolmogorov-Chaitin Complexity versus Assembly Index