The Bit and the Pendulum: From Quantum Computing to M Theory--The New Physics of Information: From Quantum Computing to M Theory - The New Physics of Information

by Tom Siegfried

Funny, clear, deep, and right on target. [Siegfried] lets us get a handle on ideas that are essential for understanding the evolving world.-K. C. Cole, author of The Universe and the Teacup""An eager, ambitious book. A stimulating, accessible introduction to scientific theory.""-Dallas Morning NewsAn award-winning journalist surveys the horizon of a new revolution in scienceEverything in the universe, from the molecules in our bodies to the heart of a black hole, is made up of bits of information. This is the radical idea at the center of the new physics of information, and it is leading to exciting breakthroughs in a vast range of science, including the invention of a new kind of quantum computer, millions of times faster than any computer today. Acclaimed science writer Tom Siegfried offers a lively introduction to the leading scientists and ideas responsible for this exciting new scientific paradigm.

Genres: Science, Physics, Computer Science, Nonfiction, Mathematics

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Odo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5.0

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interested in all the new theories of physics but have no head for the math? Neither does Tom Siegfried.

The book opens with a concession: Siegfried (a writer by trade, not a physicist) says, "OK, let's just assume that these very, very smart men have lots of math to support their theories. This book will be about their ideas, not their justifications for those ideas", and the book is better for it.

Siegfried writes with an engaging, informal style, and explains some of the newest, most interesting (and sometimes most outlandish-sounding) theories in modern science in a way that never seems obtuse or unapproachable.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was becoming curious about what the information revolution is scientifically, the substance behind the marketing ads. Some googling turned up this book which brings together various theories that describe our physical world as ultimately made of nothing more than information, 1s and 0s. Preposterous you say but that is where quantum physics enters the picture. The author was the main editor of Science News for many years so he access to the experts' complex but strikingly beautiful theories. We see that science isn't the universe but it is a tool to describe it. The clock's invention first brought man science, a way to see periods in the heavens. Centuries later we had the steam engine and Newton's mechanistic view that still explains almost everything.

Today's scientific metaphor is the computer, a machine that uses algorithms to read information and produce an output. The book explores how "computing" can describe everything from DNA sequencing to quantum mechanics. "It from Bit" means that our physical world is ultimately binary information. Along the way are accessible descriptions of Hawking radiation near black holes, string theory, cats in boxes, the anthropic universe ( a theory which necessitates mans' appearance) and Einstein's search for a GUT. The book also has a great glossary of terms.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was incredibly informative. The basic premise is that everything in the universe is made up of information. "It from Bit" is the phrase which comes up frequently. In describing the universe in terms on informational building blocks, the author touches on such subjects as quantum computing, quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, black holes, DNA, plancks, general relativity, thermodynamics, hawking radiation and much much more.

Some of the chapters can be pretty tough to get through, only due to the many scientific terms (and tounge-twisting names of physicists) but overall I was left with a great sense of scientific wonder.

[John Orman · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book that is about 13 years old now, it covers a lot of scientific ground that is still fertile with research and promise.

Brain/computer interface research continues to expand. Quantum computers still prove elusive, though many breakthroughs have been made. M-theory, the second superstring theory of the universe's structure, is still being studied and questioned.

[C.A. Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as research for my next novel series, and skimmed over a lot of it because it was excessively technical on subjects that didn't interest me. That wasn't its fault though - it turned out I'd already read a lot of what this book said on quantum mechanics so it was redundant for me, and the part that was about computing turned out not to be relevant to what I was after. It did, however, have a few fascinating chapters at the end on M Theory (never actually knew what that was before. I still only kind of know, but I gather that's because it's one of those things you have to describe mathematically and can't really envision.)

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could not finish it, and it is not entirely Siegfried's fault. After a grad-level course in Complexity, this is too pale. Siegfried also tries the monstrously hard task of diluting science for an audience increasingly not literate in the sciences.

It would be welcome on my shelves, but did not succeed entirely. In all fairness: Mr. Siegfried, keep at it!

[A.R. Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written survey of “modern” physics, as opposed to the “classical” physics that I learned in college years ago. It is a good place to start before trying to catch up with what has been happening in the last fifteen years.

[Jim Gero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good introduction to the "it from bit" idea, the idea of information as a fundamental layer of reality, and how modern science is starting to make use of that notion.

[Duhart Vader · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting ideas but I think it sometimes feel a bit esoteric

[Ramkumar Sundarakalatharan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolute must read for anyone wishing to learn the advances in science!

[Jef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Computers are the metaphor for the new paradigm of scientific thought. It from Bit!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siegfriend covers all things quantum in an effort to convince you that information is a true force of nature. Siegfried discusses developments in physics to also highlight the importance of information computing for our understanding of reality.

He talks about a lot of topics: quantum cryptography, quantum mechanics, thermodynamic principles, information computing principles, astrophysics stuff, and lots more. It's a lot to take in, and because there's so much, Siegfried has little time to deeply discuss any one concept. However, by the end of the book, I was fairly convinced that information computing is a useful model of understanding this world, and quantum computing specifically is going to bring about some awesome changes in society's technology.