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

by Tom Siegfried

Information, for most of us, is an airy, abstract thing--the stuff of ideas, images, and symbols. But for Tom Siegfried and the scientists he writes about in The Bit and the How the New Physics of Information Is Revolutionizing Science , information has become something much more fundamental to the workings of the world. "Information is real," Siegfried explains. "Information is physical." What that means depends somewhat on the discipline it's applied to (cosmology, particle physics, computer science, cognitive theory, and molecular biology are among the fields examined here), but in general it comes down to the radically simple notion that the universe, at its deepest levels, is made not of matter and energy but of bits. Information is real, yes. But more to the reality, in some increasingly meaningful sense, is information. So goes the argument anyway. And Siegfried, science editor of the Dallas Morning News , does a pretty good job of presenting it. His prose, admittedly, puts the flat in flat-footed, and his explanations of the relevant scientific phenomena (which include cool stuff like teleportation and quantum-mechanical computing) are sometimes murkier than they ought to be. But his knowledge of the last 10 years of theoretical research is sweeping, and he's especially deft with the tricky philosophy-of-science issues that pervade his topic. Have scientists really discovered, in information, the world's true foundation? Or have they simply found a handy new metaphor with which to think about the world? Siegfried wisely comes down on neither side of the question. For him, the power of metaphor is inseparable from the quest for scientific truth. And his book convincingly suggests that information, as a concept, will be generating deep scientific truths for years to come. --Julian Dibbell

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

Unknown Binding

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.