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> Yet another interesting article from the economist.
---- Owen I am an iPad, resistance is futile! Begin forwarded message: > A QUANTUM CALCULATION > Apr 22nd 2010 > > > A physicist argues that information is at the root of everything > > DECODING REALITY: THE UNIVERSE AS QUANTUM INFORMATION. By Vlatko > Vedral. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; 256 PAGES; $29.95 AND GBP16.99. Buy > from Amazon.com[1], Amazon.co.uk[2] > > > ONE of the most elusive goals in modern physics has turned out to be > the creation of a grand unified theory combining general relativity and > quantum mechanics, the two pillars of 20th-century physics. General > relativity deals with gravity and time and space; quantum mechanics > with the microscopic workings of matter. Both are incredibly successful > in their own domains, but they are inconsistent with one another. > > For decades physicists have tried to put the two together. At the heart > of the quest lies the question, of what is the universe made? Is it > atoms of matter, as most people learned in school? Or some sort of > energy? String theory, currently a popular idea, holds that the > universe is made up of tiny vibrating strings. Other equally esoteric > candidates abound. Indeed, cynics claim that there are as many grand > unified theories as there are theoretical physicists attempting > unification. > > Now Vlatko Vedral, an Oxford physicist, examines the claim that bits of > information are the universe's basic units, and the universe as a whole > is a giant quantum computer. He argues that all of reality can be > explained if readers accept that information is at the root of > everything. > > So what is information? Mr Vedral's notion of information is not the > somewhat fuzzy concept most people have of it, but a precise > mathematical definition that owes itself to Claude Shannon, an American > mathematician considered to be the father of "information theory". > Shannon worked at Bell Labs, at the time the research arm of AT&T, > a telephone giant, and in the 1940s became interested in how much > information could be sent over a noisy telephone connection. This led > him to calculate that the information content of any event was > proportional to the logarithm of its inverse probability of occurrence. > (Unlike many popular-science books that eschew equations, Mr Vedral > includes a couple and tries his best to explain them to the reader.) > What does the equation mean? As Mr Vedral points out, it says that an > unexpected, infrequent event contains much more information than a more > regular happening. > > Once he has defined information, Mr Vedral proceeds to show how > information theory can be applied to biology, physics, economics, > sociology and philosophy. These are the most interesting parts of the > book. Of particular note is the chapter on placing bets. Mr Vedral > gives a good description of how Shannon's information theory can be > applied to winning at blackjack or in buying shares (Shannon and his > friends made fortunes in Las Vegas as well as on the stockmarket). And > his exposition of climate change and how to outwit the CIA make > entertaining reading. One quibble: Mr Vedral often digresses from the > point at hand, so the overall effect tends to be a bit meandering. > > Mr Vedral's professional interests lie in quantum computing and quantum > information science, which use the laws of quantum mechanics > respectively to build powerful computers and render codes unbreakable. > There is a lot of discussion of both, which is very welcome because > there are not many popular science books that cover these relatively > young fields. Quantum computers, as Mr Vedral points out, "are not a > distant dream". Though still rudimentary, "they can solve some > important problems for us that conventional computers cannot." > > Unusually for a physicist, Mr Vedral spends a fair bit of time talking > about religious views, such as how God created the universe. He asks > whether something can come out of nothing. Throughout the ages > philosophers and theologians have debated this question with respect to > Judeo-Christian faiths, in which dogma holds that the world was created > from the void, CREATION EX NIHILO. Others side with King Lear who tells > Cordelia that "Nothing can come of nothing." Mr Vedral makes a > persuasive argument for a third option: information can be created out > of nothing. > > ----- > [1] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0199237697/theeconomists-20 > [2] > http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0199237697/economistshop-21 > > See this article with graphics and related items at http://www.economist.com/culture/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15949137 ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org |
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One pop-sci attempt on this subject is "Programming the Universe..." by Seth Lloyd. I have lost my copy to the "friend-borrowing-black-hole" but I do remember the book having an actual equation or two. I thought it was fairly well written.
On Apr 29, 2010, at 9:47 AM, Owen Densmore wrote: >> Yet another interesting article from the economist. > > ---- Owen > > > I am an iPad, resistance is futile! > > Begin forwarded message: > >> A QUANTUM CALCULATION >> Apr 22nd 2010 >> >> >> A physicist argues that information is at the root of everything >> >> DECODING REALITY: THE UNIVERSE AS QUANTUM INFORMATION. By Vlatko >> Vedral. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; 256 PAGES; $29.95 AND GBP16.99. Buy >> from Amazon.com[1], Amazon.co.uk[2] >> >> >> ONE of the most elusive goals in modern physics has turned out to be >> the creation of a grand unified theory combining general relativity and >> quantum mechanics, the two pillars of 20th-century physics. General >> relativity deals with gravity and time and space; quantum mechanics >> with the microscopic workings of matter. Both are incredibly successful >> in their own domains, but they are inconsistent with one another. >> >> For decades physicists have tried to put the two together. At the heart >> of the quest lies the question, of what is the universe made? Is it >> atoms of matter, as most people learned in school? Or some sort of >> energy? String theory, currently a popular idea, holds that the >> universe is made up of tiny vibrating strings. Other equally esoteric >> candidates abound. Indeed, cynics claim that there are as many grand >> unified theories as there are theoretical physicists attempting >> unification. >> >> Now Vlatko Vedral, an Oxford physicist, examines the claim that bits of >> information are the universe's basic units, and the universe as a whole >> is a giant quantum computer. He argues that all of reality can be >> explained if readers accept that information is at the root of >> everything. >> >> So what is information? Mr Vedral's notion of information is not the >> somewhat fuzzy concept most people have of it, but a precise >> mathematical definition that owes itself to Claude Shannon, an American >> mathematician considered to be the father of "information theory". >> Shannon worked at Bell Labs, at the time the research arm of AT&T, >> a telephone giant, and in the 1940s became interested in how much >> information could be sent over a noisy telephone connection. This led >> him to calculate that the information content of any event was >> proportional to the logarithm of its inverse probability of occurrence. >> (Unlike many popular-science books that eschew equations, Mr Vedral >> includes a couple and tries his best to explain them to the reader.) >> What does the equation mean? As Mr Vedral points out, it says that an >> unexpected, infrequent event contains much more information than a more >> regular happening. >> >> Once he has defined information, Mr Vedral proceeds to show how >> information theory can be applied to biology, physics, economics, >> sociology and philosophy. These are the most interesting parts of the >> book. Of particular note is the chapter on placing bets. Mr Vedral >> gives a good description of how Shannon's information theory can be >> applied to winning at blackjack or in buying shares (Shannon and his >> friends made fortunes in Las Vegas as well as on the stockmarket). And >> his exposition of climate change and how to outwit the CIA make >> entertaining reading. One quibble: Mr Vedral often digresses from the >> point at hand, so the overall effect tends to be a bit meandering. >> >> Mr Vedral's professional interests lie in quantum computing and quantum >> information science, which use the laws of quantum mechanics >> respectively to build powerful computers and render codes unbreakable. >> There is a lot of discussion of both, which is very welcome because >> there are not many popular science books that cover these relatively >> young fields. Quantum computers, as Mr Vedral points out, "are not a >> distant dream". Though still rudimentary, "they can solve some >> important problems for us that conventional computers cannot." >> >> Unusually for a physicist, Mr Vedral spends a fair bit of time talking >> about religious views, such as how God created the universe. He asks >> whether something can come out of nothing. Throughout the ages >> philosophers and theologians have debated this question with respect to >> Judeo-Christian faiths, in which dogma holds that the world was created >> from the void, CREATION EX NIHILO. Others side with King Lear who tells >> Cordelia that "Nothing can come of nothing." Mr Vedral makes a >> persuasive argument for a third option: information can be created out >> of nothing. >> >> ----- >> [1] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0199237697/theeconomists-20 >> [2] >> http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0199237697/economistshop-21 >> >> See this article with graphics and related items at http://www.economist.com/culture/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15949137 > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org |
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In reply to this post by Owen Densmore
So, there are different and incommensurate laws governing events at the
"scale" of general relativity and events at the "scale" of quantum mechanics. Curiously, it has also been suggested that there are alternate universes where different laws apply. So, might it be that we are really talking about two different (parallel) universes? To be sure, these are not the parallel universes found in Star Trek. Nor are there big, obvious, walls between them. But then, the interesting puzzles of nature seem to consist of subtle scales rather than obvious borders. Thanks, Steve Steven E. Wallis, PhD Director, Foundation for the Advancement of Social Theory Fellow, Institute for Social Innovation, Fielding Graduate University http://ProjectFAST.org New Book! http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?ID=35221 ----- Original Message ----- From: <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2010 9:00 AM Subject: Friam Digest, Vol 82, Issue 32 > Send Friam mailing list submissions to > [hidden email] > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > [hidden email] > > You can reach the person managing the list at > [hidden email] > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Friam digest..." > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Today's Topics: > > 1. Econ (Owen Densmore) > 2. vol 82, 30 (peggy miller) > 3. Re: Econ (David Mirly) > 4. Offshore Wind vs Local Green (Owen Densmore) > 5. Re: vol 82, 30 (Vladimyr Ivan Burachynsky) > 6. Zombies! (was vol 82, 30) (glen e. p. ropella) > 7. Re: Offshore Wind vs Local Green (Vladimyr Ivan Burachynsky) > 8. Re: [sfx: Discuss] Offshore Wind vs Local Green ([hidden email]) > 9. Re: Palenque, Chichen Itza and Katyn (Merle Lefkoff) > 10. Re: Zombies! (was vol 82, 30) (Vladimyr Ivan Burachynsky) > 11. Re: Palenque, Pyramids and Machu Picchu (Jochen Fromm) > 12. Re: Palenque, Chichen Itza and Katyn (Tom Johnson) > 13. Re: Palenque, Chichen Itza and Katyn (Jochen Fromm) > 14. Re: Palenque, Chichen Itza and Katyn (Pamela McCorduck) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > Friam mailing list > [hidden email] > http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org |
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In reply to this post by Owen Densmore
There are literally hundreds of "books" on Intelligent Design / Creationism / Origins of life - the universe - everything all attempting to use Shannon's theories as props to hang their arguments on. Its a whole pop culture in the USA which keeps observers like me on other planets highly amused / entertained.
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=xxEchYtFuns&feature=related http://home.mira.net/~reynella/debate/gitt.htm "In the beginning was information" http://lampofdiogenes.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/hello-world/ "In the beginning was the Peanut Butter man" On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 10:17 PM, Owen Densmore <[hidden email]> wrote: > Yet another interesting article from the economist. ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org |
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