Constructing Physics From Measurements

Abstract

We present a reformulation of fundamental physics from an enumeration of axiomatic primitives to the solution of an entropy optimization problem. By maximizing the Shannon entropy of all possible measurements relative to a system's initial state, we find that physics itself emerges as the least biased description consistent with what can be measured. Remarkably, the solution automatically yields a complete unified theory, naturally incorporating quantum mechanics, general relativity (via a double-copy mechanism applied to the Dirac current), and the Standard Model gauge symmetries (SU(3)xSU(2)xU(1)) without additional assumptions. Mathematical consistency requirements further restrict valid solutions to 3+1 dimensions, potentially explaining the observed dimensionality of spacetime. This reformulation provides a parsimonious foundation where previously independent phenomena arise as different aspects of a single solution.

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References found in this work

The principles of quantum mechanics.Paul Dirac - 1930 - Oxford,: Clarendon Press.
A Mathematical Theory of Communication.Claude Elwood Shannon - 1948 - Bell System Technical Journal 27 (April 1924):379–423.
The Free Will Theorem.John Conway & Simon Kochen - 2006 - Foundations of Physics 36 (10):1441-1473.

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