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?
| ISBN: | 9780099455370 |
| Publication date: | 5th April 2007 |
| Author: | Seth Lloyd |
| Publisher: | Vintage an imprint of Random House |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 239 pages |
| Genres: |
Popular Science Atomic and molecular physics Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory) Mathematical physics Quantum computing and information |
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?
Programming the Universe features in the following genres: Popular Science, Atomic and molecular physics, Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory), Mathematical physics, Quantum computing and information
Programming the Universe is available in Paperback, Ebook
Programming the Universe was written by Seth Lloyd and published by Vintage an imprint of Random House
Programming the Universe has 239 pages
£14.39