At its lowest level, understanding is simply data conversion from one type of raw data into another. Our eyes understand types SE, ES, and TS data and convert that data into type EE, and TE data that travels as electricity down the optic nerve to the brain. This conversion requires energy and with the eyes some of the energy comes from the light energy itself much like a solar cell converts energy from the sun into electricity. The molecular shapes of the rod and cone cells in the retina of our eyes perform this data conversion under direction of DNA programmed procedural knowledge. Whether this conversion requires additional energy from cellular glucose conversion, above and beyond the energy from the light itself, remains to be seen.
The way our eyes understand data is by the physical structure and layout of the rod and cone cells in the retina of the eyeball. The fact that there are millions of these cells spread out over the space of the retina make it possible for them to detect type SE data. Each cell of the retina is a separate understanding engine that understands the position and intensity or color of the photons of light hitting that part of the retina. The procedural knowledge that makes the understanding possible is manifest in the physical structure of the cells of the retina. Each photon of light energy follows a particular step by step procedure in its conversion to electrons that travel down the optic nerve as type EE electrical data. It's an amazing process all controlled by procedural knowledge stored in our DNA sequences.
Looking again at an understandings need for energy you see a living brain burning glucose for energy in order to understand data or knowledge. With a computer you see it using electrical energy to run its central processor. In both cases there would be no understanding without energy.
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