Programming The Universe

Oct 26, 2024 9:21 AM

Author:Seth Lloyd

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE BIT...

The universe is made of bits of information and it has been known for more than a century that every piece of the the universe - every electron, atom and molecule - registers these bits and that information. It is only in the last years, however, with the discovery and development of quantum computers, that scientists have gained a fundamental understanding of just how that information is registered and processed.

Building on recent breakthroughs in quantum computation, Seth Lloyd shows how the universe itself is a giant computer. Every atom and elementary particle stores these bits, and every collision between those atoms and particles flips the bits into a new arrangement and effortlessly spins out beautiful and complex systems, including galaxies, planets and life itself.

But every computer needs a program, the set of instructions that tell it what patterns to create. Where did the bits come from that tell the universe to create its magnificent complexity? Who - or what - is programming the universe?

Reviews

Seth Lloyd is an authoritative and often funny guide to this head-bending stuff...startlingly novel

—— Stephen Poole , Guardian

Lloyd does an excellent job of explaining all this in clear, accessible language... I urge you to buy the book

—— John Gribbin , Independent

Visionary and fun

—— New York Times

His excellent book explains the science in terms as simple as one could hope for

—— Andrew Crumey , Scotland on Sunday

Lloyd thinks he has found a new way to explain one of the most basic questions in science: Why is the world so complex?... Fascinating and profoundly comforting... Seth Lloyd certainly gives his readers a lot of bang for their buck

—— The New York Times Book Review

Lloyd is one of the gurus of quantum and information theory, and in this accessible book he presents an insightful new perspective on the cosmos

—— Sir Martin Rees, University of Cambridge

Renowned for his innovative conflation of pure physics and computation, Lloyd is well positioned to hack his way into space-time and come back with answers

—— Seed

What an astonishing book! Lloyd is at the forefront of a revolution

—— Kevin Kelly, Editor-at-Large , Wired

A marvelously capacious book that will attract serious readers everywhere

—— Booklist

Any reader who has avoided science for fear of being overwhelmed will find a friendly guide in Potter ... This clear and smoothly written look at the mind-boggling history of everything is both informative and provocative

—— Publishers Weekly

This Portable History of the Universe is awe-inspiring in its reach. It ranges easily over millions of miles and takes in billions of centuries at a stroke, yet at the same time it's somehow intimate and conversational in its manner. The engaging medium is the message, perhaps: to contemplate the universe, suggests Potter, is "to find ourselves at two poles at the same time: we are uniquely special and we are insignificant". Playing both poles against the middle with extraordinary aplomb, his book opens up to us the vastness of the cosmos

—— Scotsman

Less folksy and biographical than Bill Bryson, less zany than a Bluffer's Guide. But many a bang for your buck, washed down with quotations from the greats ... Potter has an engaging style

—— Daily Mail

With marvellous clarity, compassion, erudition, humour and open-mindedness, Potter blasts us through the vast vacuum of space

—— Daily Telegraph

Previous Article：Not Even Wrong Next Article：100 Ideas that Changed the World

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.