i think this would be the best place to discuss this

in another thread the point was raised that the fastest CPU is the Human Brain not wanting to hijack a thread i thought i would post a new one

The Human Brain is the Fastest Cpu

now thats open to debate. seeing as a brain acts as both a hard drive and CPU also.

also what is 928346*98236?
im sure the computer can do that faster than the human brain hell try doing what super pi does in 30s in your brain.

i would suggest that a human brain is more like a 100 core processor with a lot of them dedicated to individual functions that wouldnt be much good at doing other things (cpu cant act as a Gpu)

what makes something the fastest CPU?

My particular human brain isn't the fastest anything until at least three cups of coffee.

Now that's outta the way, I doubt that it is possible to accurately compare the function of a biological brain with a silicon one. CPUs process data in a very linear, structured fashion. Human brains work in a 3D structure of almost infinite potential connections. The neurons which are organized into vertical columns form several hundred million neural networks within the brain. Folding these structures into six separate cellular layers around the limbic system creates a 3D system of connections which allow for the "richness" of human sensation and thought. It will be many centuries before we can artificially recreate even a semblance of this complexity.

It's so hard to judge that, because the human brain operates significantly different from computers.

Would I say the human brain is the most innately powerful computer in terms of overall scalability and usefulness? Clearly.

CPUs are faster but the brain is MUCH MORE EFFICIENT. The big key is that a human can always beat a computer in calculation speed by just unplugging the PC.

LOL, well said.

I think the one key that makes the mortal brain more powerful is Rationalization.

I think the fact we only use about 20% of our brain anyway says alot too. Imagine unlocking the whole thing.....

[/quote]

That's the best rational thought I have heard all day to compare the thought power of a human vs. a computer. A PC would try infinite tangents and speed shortcuts to win; a human would just cheat and take away the energy resource of its competitor.

Human makes first AI robot
Robot's first words : "ROCK'EM SOCK'EM HUMANS"
Human turns off power, watches WWE or UFC.

Damn tha Fudman, where'd you get that paragraph, or are you a biochemist at night?

You can't really equate processor cores and neurons. Long live the ameobas!

Interesting philosophical question, but I would have to say the brain beats the cpu for speed any day. The cpu can only calculate what binary code and humans tell the binary code to do. When it comes down to it, a cpu can only think of two things--one and zero. Now, it's very fast at that but it can't think, rationalize or feel. There's no cpu that contains a fraction of the speed it takes the brain to calculate, assess and manipulate the environment around it. The eyes, for example, are infinitely more complicated than anything a computer could replicate most likely ever.

You have to define your own terms and specify the operant definition or process for determining what is the "fastest". Then when applying your definition, you are finding only the fastest within that particular meaning.

The undefined term is too general so the discusion lacks focus and meaning.

Someone asked one of my CE professors this q and he said... if I remember correctly
(The human brain runs at 2Mhz but has a huge amount of threads).

Nah. Just the author of a research paper on cetacean cytoarchitectonics... many years ago when the Captain had another life...

I was thinking the other day about posting this question - is there a way to truly train your brain to multi-task two or more processes that require intellect?

Obviously our muscles and subconscious can multitask (think, walk, and chew gum)... but want about 2 seperate processes that require focused concentration.

For example, could I training my brain to write a book in a word document while doing my taxes in a spreadsheet? Concurrently?

The brain still has the advantage in terms of sheer number of calculations per second and data storage... but multi- tasking, a dual processor (or greater) crushes us.

It's only a matter of time before computer technology advances beyond the capabilities of the brain.

Again, I'm talking raw processing and storage power... not AI or anything (true AI will never exist).

i wouldnt say the human brain is the fastest cpu in terms of calculations, but its the most advanced and complex piece of technology available to human beings. It performs so many calculations per second on many different levels. Think about it, your brain has to tell your hear to beat, it has to tell you to breath, it has to tell your cells to act, it tells your arms and legs to move, how fast, how slow, how hard, how far, what angle. Just things like that. Your brain remembers things, it also performs as ram if you think of short term memory. It will take many years to even mimic this as your brain is extremely complicated.

There are some ambidextrous people who can concurrently write a different story with each hand. Much of that is a function of hemispheres which in some ways can act as a separate and distinct brain.

I'm not sure if a human brain is more efficient. If I tell my computer to do something, it will do it without interuption (other than power loss), and do it very quickly. If I start something complicated and a pretty nurse walks by, I might well be thinking of all sorts of things other than the task I started out with. At that point, the computer has me, hands down.

There are some ambidextrous people who can concurrently write a different story with each hand. Much of that is a function of hemispheres which in some ways can act as a separate and distinct brain.

yeah, but typing is one thing... concurrently creating two seperate stories with plots and correct grammar... is totally different. I'm less interested in the delivery of the content (e.g. one process could be typing, the other speech recognition) than the ablity to truly clone my brain and have it really working on two seperate bodies of work.

Brain partition?

ahh good question!

Computers are fundamentally different than human brains.

ie. Computers use algorithms to sort through and process information, which happens to be a very efficient way to crunch nubers.

Humans on the other hand rely heavily upon heuristics to make decisions, something computers simply have a hard time doing. Basically heuristics allow humans to take past experiences and knowledge and make INSTANT decisions, or if you prefer you could call them guesses.

There are people that can actually read two pages of a book simultaneaously - one page per eye, and still have good comprehension.

The fastest CPU in the world is in essence a really complicated abacus. Core 2 Quads and QuadFX's? Multi - leveled abacus's. Our brain is not even comparable to these things in the complexity and sheer vastness of power that it contains. Your CPU might be able to calculate the square root of pi to the millionth place, but can it feel? Can it exist? Is it aware? And by all these things I don't mean a hollow emulation of human emotions and philosophies but the actual capacity to think.