1 option
Programming the universe : a quantum computer scientist takes on the cosmos / Seth Lloyd.
Math/Physics/Astronomy Library QC174.12 .L57 2006
Available
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Lloyd, Seth, 1960-
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Quantum theory--Mathematical models.
- Quantum theory.
- Microcomputers--Programming.
- Microcomputers.
- Quantum computers.
- Physical Description:
- xii, 221 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
- Edition:
- First edition.
- Place of Publication:
- New York : Knopf, 2006.
- Summary:
- Is the universe actually a giant quantum computer? According to Seth Lloyd--professor of quantum-mechanical engineering at MIT and originator of the first technologically feasible design for a working quantum computer--the answer is yes. This book illuminates the professional and personal paths that led him to this remarkable conclusion. All interactions between particles in the universe, Lloyd explains, convey not only energy but also information--in other words, particles not only collide, they compute. And what is the entire universe computing, ultimately? "Its own dynamical evolution," he says. "As the computation proceeds, reality unfolds." To elucidate his theory, Lloyd examines the history of the cosmos, posing questions that in other hands might seem unfathomably complex: How much information is there in the universe? What information existed at the moment of the Big Bang and what happened to it? How do quantum mechanics and chaos theory interact to create our world? Could we attempt to re-create it on a giant quantum computer?--From publisher description.
- Contents:
- Prologue: The Apple and the Universe ix
- Part 1 The Big Picture
- Chapter 2 Computation 17
- Chapter 3 The Computational Universe 38
- Part 2 A Closer Look
- Chapter 4 Information and Physical Systems 65
- Chapter 5 Quantum Mechanics 100
- Chapter 6 Atoms at Work 128
- Chapter 7 The Universal Computer 149
- Chapter 8 Complexity Simplified 176
- Personal Note: The Consolation of Information 213.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-221).
- ISBN:
- 1400040922
- 1400033861
- OCLC:
- 60515043
- Publisher Number:
- 9781400040926
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.