January 12, 2007
Programming the Universe
product
Book by Seth Lloyd, about quantum physics and cosmology
We all know that the universe is made up of matter and energy, but Seth Lloyd, a quantum physicist at MIT, adds a third basic element to our understanding: information. Everything, he says, can be considered as registering information (or bits): hot/cold, heavy/light, white/black, spin up, spin down can all be considered the 0s and 1s of a binary information system, the same system we have build computing upon. Interactions between things (people, atoms, electrons) results in exchange of information. With all these bits, the universe is, as we speak, computing. Computing what? Why, itself, of course. And at the quantum level, the famous quantum wierdness (uncertainty principle, wave/particle duality, Schrodeinger’s cat) means that if you could build quantum computer, it’s parallel nature would mean computing power far beyond anything classical computers can provide. Lloyd has actually built a quantum computer (a simple one), and continues his work.
He has also written an important book, which is at once mind-bending and accessible. He is patient and clear (and funny), and this slim text presents a revolutionary interpretation of the cosmsos, which Lloyd thinks might provide a pathway to solving the great challenege of modern physics: uniting the theory of general relativity and quantum physics, which don’t get along. It might also prove a (testable) theoretical underpinning for the creation of life.
My rating: 5.0 stars
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I think it’s interesting that you say he uses “information” to describe this. It seems to me a result of our current society that he chose that word, and if he were to write in any other time might have used another word. Still, it may fit and help make more sense to the modern mind anyways.
Comment by Kri — January 12, 2007 @ 11:13 am
yes i was going to say that… we create our cosmologies in our own image. so in the mechanistic world, we imagine the universe as a giant machine (newton); in the information age, we imagine it as a giant google.
in a way though, these are just metaphors. the important thing is whether they a) produce predictive, and testable hypotheses, and b) are useful.
For instance the theory of gravity (newton) predicts how fast an apple (or bullet) falls to the ground, and it is testable. it also predicts how the planets move. both of which are useful.
general relativity predicts big things about the universe, and gets them much more right (ie they correspond with what actually happens) than newton did. quantum theory predicts small things, and gets them much more right than relativity at the small level.
but these two theories conflict, which means we have trouble figuring out what happened at the beginning of the universe, and life is a mystery.
Lloyd’s model provides a way forward on both counts. It also means he can build quantum computers, which may be far more powerful than non-quantum computers.
so though the theory is in a sense just an interesting way to think of the universe, there are practical applications that could be important.
Comment by hugh — January 12, 2007 @ 12:04 pm