Reducing the complexity

1. Complexity vs. Understanding 1 Reducing the complexity complexity size Fiction ‘curve of knowledge’ Science level of understanding

2. Complexity vs. Understanding 2 Reducing the complexity Top-Down: increasingly elaborate experiments and models for complex systems complexity size Bottom up: extrapolate under-standing from small to larger systems macro- molecules DNA Biology aminopyridine molecules H Chemistry atoms Physics ab initio MM QED level of understanding

3. 3 Complexity vs. Understanding Reducing the complexity Problem: complexity scales exponentially with size  bad scaling if we want to get to larger systems size complexity Bottom up: extrapolate under-standing from small to larger systems aminopyridine2 DNA Biology aminopyridine H Chemistry Physics ab initio MM QED level of understanding

4. Complexity vs. Understanding 4 Reducing the complexity Problem: complexity scales exponentially with size  bad scaling if we want to get to larger systems Solution: measure correlated properties 2 independent experiments  2x the information 2 correlated experiments  information2 size complexity Bottom up: extrapolate under-standing from small to larger systems aminopyridine2 DNA Biology aminopyridine H Chemistry Physics ab initio MM QED level of understanding