A greyscale image has a byte of storage for every pixel, so every pixel can range in value from 0 (being completely black) to 255 (being completely white), totally 256 values. In a square photo that is 256 pixels tall by 256 pixels wide, there are a total of 65,536 pixels (256 x 256). Since each individual pixel can have one of 256 different values, the total number of possible combinations of images in this photo is 256^65536. The possible images therefore range from all black, to all white, with every other combination in between.
256^65536 is an enormous number and most of these images would look like noise. However, hidden somewhere would be a picture of you when you were born, a picture of you now, a picture of you when you’ll be old. There would be picture which shows how the universe began and how it will end, and a picture of every equation that is yet to be discovered.
And it is very easy to write a program to show these images in order, so in some sense we can ‘see’ all of past and future...if only we had the time.
(written by: Sreenidhi)
(Artwork by: Thomas Barbey)
