[Paper Review] Weight fluctuations of information storage media

László B. Kish|ArXiv.org|May 27, 2008

Computational Physics and Python Applications3 citations

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether changes in information content within storage media induce measurable weight fluctuations, proposing a classical explanation involving humidity and capillary forces rather than a new fundamental force. Experiments with flash drives and oil-powder mixtures show mass transients up to 0.3 mg linked to information changes, attributed to trapped air compression and Archimedes force changes under capillary effects.

ABSTRACT

In this essentially Unsolved Problems of Noise (UPoN) paper we further study the question recently posed in Fluctuation and Noise Letters (December 2007), if there is and interaction between bodies with correlated information content, and weather the observed weight transients during/after changing the information content in memory devices is due to a new type of interaction, a new type of "fifth force", or it is only a classical mechanism. We briefly discuss the issue of the great experimental uncertainty of the Newtonian gravitation constant. We also mention the peculiar experiments about sudden weight changes of humans and animals at the moment of death. The extended monitoring of four 4GB flash drives with no casing and various information content indicate a significant correlation between their weight variations and the fluctuations of ambient humidity. This is an evidence for the role of humidity and hygroscopic components, at least, for long-term weight fluctuations. A sequence of information changing experiments with such a flash drives at stable humidity conditions shows a significant variability of the transients of the absolute mass with some dependence on the information content. Finally, a related new experiment was carried out with olive oil and chilli pepper powder that was dissolved in it while the mass variations were recorded and a positive mass transient of 0.3 milligram was observed for about 10 minutes. The process represents the writing of new random information into a medium. The only classical interpretation of this mechanism would be the compression of trapped air between the grains by the surface tension of the oil, or that of in pores by capillary forces, and the resulting decrease of the Archimedes force due volume reduction.

Motivation & Objective

• To determine if information content changes in storage media cause measurable weight fluctuations.
• To assess whether such fluctuations stem from a new physical interaction or classical mechanisms like humidity and capillary forces.
• To rule out or confirm the existence of a 'fifth force' linked to information correlation.
• To investigate the role of environmental factors such as ambient humidity in long-term mass variations of storage devices.

Proposed method

• Conducted extended monitoring of uncased 4GB flash drives under stable humidity to correlate weight changes with information content.
• Performed controlled information-changing experiments on flash drives in a humidity-stabilized environment to isolate transient mass effects.
• Used a mixture of olive oil and chilli pepper powder to simulate information writing, recording mass variations during dissolution.
• Analyzed mass transients via Archimedes' principle, attributing changes to volume reduction of trapped air or pores under capillary forces.
• Measured absolute mass transients during information writing processes, focusing on duration and magnitude.
• Evaluated the role of hygroscopic materials in long-term weight fluctuations through environmental monitoring.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Do changes in information content in storage media lead to measurable weight fluctuations?
• RQ2 Are these fluctuations due to a new physical interaction or classical mechanisms such as humidity and capillary effects?
• RQ3 Can the observed mass transients be explained by changes in Archimedes' force due to trapped air compression?
• RQ4 To what extent does ambient humidity influence long-term weight variations in information storage media?
• RQ5 Is there a measurable mass transient during the process of writing new information into a medium?

Key findings

• A significant correlation was observed between weight fluctuations in uncased flash drives and ambient humidity changes over long-term monitoring.
• Under stable humidity, information-changing experiments revealed measurable and variable mass transients dependent on information content.
• A positive mass transient of 0.3 milligram was observed for approximately 10 minutes during the dissolution of chilli pepper powder into olive oil, simulating information writing.
• The observed mass transients are best explained by classical mechanisms involving compression of trapped air or pore volume reduction due to capillary forces.
• The reduction in displaced air volume leads to a decrease in Archimedes' force, resulting in a measurable increase in apparent mass.
• No evidence was found to support the existence of a new 'fifth force' related to information correlation; classical explanations suffice.