Programming The Universe
A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos
Published on 5. April 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-09-945537-0 (ISBN)
Description
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE BIT...
The universe is made of bits of information and it has been known for more than a century that every piece of the the universe - every electron, atom and molecule - registers these bits and that information. It is only in the last years, however, with the discovery and development of quantum computers, that scientists have gained a fundamental understanding of just how that information is registered and processed.
Building on recent breakthroughs in quantum computation, Seth Lloyd shows how the universe itself is a giant computer. Every atom and elementary particle stores these bits, and every collision between those atoms and particles flips the bits into a new arrangement and effortlessly spins out beautiful and complex systems, including galaxies, planets and life itself.
But every computer needs a program, the set of instructions that tell it what patterns to create. Where did the bits come from that tell the universe to create its magnificent complexity? Who - or what - is programming the universe?
The universe is made of bits of information and it has been known for more than a century that every piece of the the universe - every electron, atom and molecule - registers these bits and that information. It is only in the last years, however, with the discovery and development of quantum computers, that scientists have gained a fundamental understanding of just how that information is registered and processed.
Building on recent breakthroughs in quantum computation, Seth Lloyd shows how the universe itself is a giant computer. Every atom and elementary particle stores these bits, and every collision between those atoms and particles flips the bits into a new arrangement and effortlessly spins out beautiful and complex systems, including galaxies, planets and life itself.
But every computer needs a program, the set of instructions that tell it what patterns to create. Where did the bits come from that tell the universe to create its magnificent complexity? Who - or what - is programming the universe?
Reviews / Votes
Seth Lloyd is an authoritative and often funny guide to this head-bending stuff...startlingly novel -- Stephen Poole * Guardian * Lloyd does an excellent job of explaining all this in clear, accessible language... I urge you to buy the book -- John Gribbin * Independent * Visionary and fun * New York Times * His excellent book explains the science in terms as simple as one could hope for -- Andrew Crumey * Scotland on Sunday * Lloyd thinks he has found a new way to explain one of the most basic questions in science: Why is the world so complex?... Fascinating and profoundly comforting... Seth Lloyd certainly gives his readers a lot of bang for their buck * The New York Times Book Review * Lloyd is one of the gurus of quantum and information theory, and in this accessible book he presents an insightful new perspective on the cosmos -- Sir Martin Rees, University of Cambridge Renowned for his innovative conflation of pure physics and computation, Lloyd is well positioned to hack his way into space-time and come back with answers * Seed * What an astonishing book! Lloyd is at the forefront of a revolution -- Kevin Kelly, Editor-at-Large * Wired *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
309 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-09-945537-0 (9780099455370)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2011
1st Edition
Vintage Digital
€12.99
Available for download
Person
Seth Lloyd is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and a principal investigator at the Research Laboratory of Electronics. He is also adjunct assistant professor at the Santa Fe Institute. His seminal work in the fields of quantum computation and quantum communications has gained him a reputation as an innovator and leader in the field of quantum computing. He has written numerous articles for Nature, New Scientist, Science and Scientific American. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts