We get amazed after hearing about computers that have unbelievably large memories and processing speeds, but we fail to recognize that the best supercomputer was always within us- our brain.Yes, that's true.You must have heard of computers having thousands of Terabytes(1 Terabyte(TB)= 1024 Gigabytes(GB)), but when we talk of the memory size of the human brain,we need an even bigger unit - the Petabyte(1 Petabyte(PB)= 1024 TB). In fact, the best approximation of human memory is 2.5 PB(2.5 * 1024 * 1024 = 2621440 GB) .Wow, that's something. In analogical terms, this, of course, is the secondary memory, i.e the memory in which we store permanent data just like a computer does in HDDs.
Actually, the brain is composed of around a 100 billion neurons, on an average, and all of them connect to form an interconnected network. On an average, each neuron connects with 1000 other neurons. These neurons respond to the neural impulses that the brain receives from the nervous system, which itself is handled by the brain. In simple terms, its safe to assume that every single neuron is a tiny computer in itself. It has some processing capabilities, it has some memory and it treats the neural impulses just like computer responds to commands.All of these neurons connect and coordinate to make up for the overall storage that we talked about in the first para, but the processing is divided among each and every one of them.
How a neuron works, is a very complex thing, but the overall system is such that tasks are divided into portions and the neurons individually solve these portions. Who divides the task into portions - another set of neurons. Hence, as it goes, different neurons assume different roles as and when demanded. Some of them would do the division of work, some of them would do small scale computations and some of them would add up the results to form the overall results.Every neuron is capable of doing any function, just like the processor units in supercomputers.
Actually, supercomputers are composed of processor and memory arrays in such a way that processors may have their separate memories that they can use for calculations. In this way, any processor can be programmed to do anything. The same goes with neurons of the brains.The processing of data, is more or less the same. However, the supercomputer processor units don't have anything to do with permanent storage(secondary memory). Secondary memory is organized as separate RAID/LVM arrays with separate memory controllers for access. Hence, the neuron, which can handle all the departments on its own, is more superior than supercomputer units.
Now, the concept of primary memory is not applicable in brain, because a the brain is always online. Hence, logically, the brain treats short term and long term storage alike, but its just that it either disposes or retains the short term storage as per the demand. For example, you make a big calculation which involved prediction of sales on the basis of some market values. Now you start working with some predefined calculation logic and the market values. The logic is already there in your neurons, and the values are loaded temporarily. The neurons work out on the calculations and give you the end results.Now while making the calculations, you would have made some sub-calculations like carrying of digits, adding multiple figures to get a single figure.Now, you will hardly refer back to the carries that you made or the intermediate results, so after some time, the brain will flush them.Whereas, the final figures results will be retained for a longer time, as you would use them again. The logic will also be retained because it was there, and since it was used here, so it may be needed again. So, in short, brain stores important things and discards the less important ones.Importance is determined by how frequently you used that thing.So, we can assume that the neurons store all the information, both permanent and temporary, and both of them are equally accessible, unlike computers, where primary memory is more easily accessible than secondary.
Now, if we assume that some neurons store permanent data and cannot participate in calculations, even then we have tonnes of neurons which can. Even if we take 1 percent of the total to be available, we have 26214 GB of memory available for computations. This is analogous to RAM of supercomputers. Ever imagined a computer with this much of RAM.Moreover, every neuron is capable of processing the data that it has and the data that it gets from the signals. Hence if we assume an analogy here, then the processing capabilities of the brain would be at least 100 times of the latest supercomputer by Cray. Supercomputers may have specialized architectures,separation of floating point operations, or even AI based task-allocation schemes, but no supercomputer can,at least for the next 10 years, even think of matching the human brain. You are not aware of this, but let me make you get some closer.
When you see things, you are using the feed from a high-definition camera- your eyes. The camera is so good that the transfer rate is in GBs/sec. Same is the story with your ears and other sensory organs. The brain keeps getting data from these "peripherals" and keeps processing it. It also stores the important impulses and stores a large amount of them in the subconscious memory. In short, even when we are doing nothing, the brain is working on TBs of data. Now when we do some extensive calculation tasks, we are using just a small portion of the available capabilities. As per a research, the average human being uses only a percent or 2 of his brain's capabilities. Einstein used around 3-4 percent, though. And everyone knows what he did. So, if just by using a mere 3 percent of such a large setup, a man was able to change the world forever, well, you can imagine what will happen, if someone uses all of it.
Brain is in fact a very complex computer. You must have heard of the dream theories. Dreams are thought to be brain's own creations. Brain simply combines stored things from the past and creates new meaningful things. Trust me, no computer in the world is capable of doing it. So, I just want you to speculate for a while on the amazing capabilities that this organ in our skull possesses. Yep, you are the owner of the best computer in the world.
Actually, the brain is composed of around a 100 billion neurons, on an average, and all of them connect to form an interconnected network. On an average, each neuron connects with 1000 other neurons. These neurons respond to the neural impulses that the brain receives from the nervous system, which itself is handled by the brain. In simple terms, its safe to assume that every single neuron is a tiny computer in itself. It has some processing capabilities, it has some memory and it treats the neural impulses just like computer responds to commands.All of these neurons connect and coordinate to make up for the overall storage that we talked about in the first para, but the processing is divided among each and every one of them.
How a neuron works, is a very complex thing, but the overall system is such that tasks are divided into portions and the neurons individually solve these portions. Who divides the task into portions - another set of neurons. Hence, as it goes, different neurons assume different roles as and when demanded. Some of them would do the division of work, some of them would do small scale computations and some of them would add up the results to form the overall results.Every neuron is capable of doing any function, just like the processor units in supercomputers.
Actually, supercomputers are composed of processor and memory arrays in such a way that processors may have their separate memories that they can use for calculations. In this way, any processor can be programmed to do anything. The same goes with neurons of the brains.The processing of data, is more or less the same. However, the supercomputer processor units don't have anything to do with permanent storage(secondary memory). Secondary memory is organized as separate RAID/LVM arrays with separate memory controllers for access. Hence, the neuron, which can handle all the departments on its own, is more superior than supercomputer units.
Now, the concept of primary memory is not applicable in brain, because a the brain is always online. Hence, logically, the brain treats short term and long term storage alike, but its just that it either disposes or retains the short term storage as per the demand. For example, you make a big calculation which involved prediction of sales on the basis of some market values. Now you start working with some predefined calculation logic and the market values. The logic is already there in your neurons, and the values are loaded temporarily. The neurons work out on the calculations and give you the end results.Now while making the calculations, you would have made some sub-calculations like carrying of digits, adding multiple figures to get a single figure.Now, you will hardly refer back to the carries that you made or the intermediate results, so after some time, the brain will flush them.Whereas, the final figures results will be retained for a longer time, as you would use them again. The logic will also be retained because it was there, and since it was used here, so it may be needed again. So, in short, brain stores important things and discards the less important ones.Importance is determined by how frequently you used that thing.So, we can assume that the neurons store all the information, both permanent and temporary, and both of them are equally accessible, unlike computers, where primary memory is more easily accessible than secondary.
Now, if we assume that some neurons store permanent data and cannot participate in calculations, even then we have tonnes of neurons which can. Even if we take 1 percent of the total to be available, we have 26214 GB of memory available for computations. This is analogous to RAM of supercomputers. Ever imagined a computer with this much of RAM.Moreover, every neuron is capable of processing the data that it has and the data that it gets from the signals. Hence if we assume an analogy here, then the processing capabilities of the brain would be at least 100 times of the latest supercomputer by Cray. Supercomputers may have specialized architectures,separation of floating point operations, or even AI based task-allocation schemes, but no supercomputer can,at least for the next 10 years, even think of matching the human brain. You are not aware of this, but let me make you get some closer.
When you see things, you are using the feed from a high-definition camera- your eyes. The camera is so good that the transfer rate is in GBs/sec. Same is the story with your ears and other sensory organs. The brain keeps getting data from these "peripherals" and keeps processing it. It also stores the important impulses and stores a large amount of them in the subconscious memory. In short, even when we are doing nothing, the brain is working on TBs of data. Now when we do some extensive calculation tasks, we are using just a small portion of the available capabilities. As per a research, the average human being uses only a percent or 2 of his brain's capabilities. Einstein used around 3-4 percent, though. And everyone knows what he did. So, if just by using a mere 3 percent of such a large setup, a man was able to change the world forever, well, you can imagine what will happen, if someone uses all of it.
Brain is in fact a very complex computer. You must have heard of the dream theories. Dreams are thought to be brain's own creations. Brain simply combines stored things from the past and creates new meaningful things. Trust me, no computer in the world is capable of doing it. So, I just want you to speculate for a while on the amazing capabilities that this organ in our skull possesses. Yep, you are the owner of the best computer in the world.
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