The bit and the pendulum: from quantum computing to M theory

Tom Siegfried0471321745, 9780471321743, 9780585254364

Will it be possible in the twenty-first century to teleport objects from one place to another? Will superfast quantum computers usher in an even more powerful second computer revolution? Is our universe only one of an infinite number of universes?” “What do all of these questions have to do with the radical new theory that “everything is information”? In The Bit and the Pendulum, science writer Tom Siegfried introduces readers to the frontiers of the radical new physics of information, and to the host of amazing discoveries it is inspiring – from the development of a stunning new breed of quantum computers, to methods for writing supersecure codes, to revealing fascinating insights into the elaborate computer-like workings of the cell and resolving long-standing mysteries about the inner workings of black holes and how the universe evolved. “Siegfried has interviewed the leading researchers, and he provides lucid and entertaining explanations of the remarkable range of work they are doing. We are introduced to the latest theories in quantum physics and how they are being applied by quantum cryptographers to create secret codes that are absolutely unbreakable. We learn how the mind-boggling physics of “reversible logic” can recapture lost information. We are introduced to Nobel Prize-winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann and his provocative new idea of a “schema” to encode the way that nature works. We meet maverick mathematician Leonard Adleman and learn about his ingenious method of harnessing the information power of the genetic code to create DNA computers.