Ahira's Hangar https://ahirashangar.ihugny.com/phpBB3/ |
|
Quantum theory https://ahirashangar.ihugny.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1068 |
Page 1 of 1 |
Author: | danlo60 [ Sat Aug 17, 2002 7:07 pm ] |
Post subject: | Quantum theory |
I didn't kno if I could come up with particular viewpoints on this subject until a discussion was already underway. So I really didn't kno how 2 start this subject...Believe me I do have a lot 2 say, but mayb this quote will start something up...<b><i>Quote:</i></b> Because I was full of fear and doubt, the Entity explained how she manipulated matter through the layers of the manifold. But I understood only the smallest part of the physics, the simpilest of ideals. She had created a new mathematics to describe the warp and woof of spacetime. Her theory of interconnectedness was as beyond me as a demonstration of the different orders of infinities would be to a worm. Ages ago, of course, the mechanics had explored the paradoxes of quantum mechanics. For example, they had shown that both photons in a pair of photons are connected in fundamental ways no matter how far the two particles are separated in real space. If two photons fly away from a light source towards the opposite ends of the universe, each will 'know' certain of it's twin's attributes, such as spin and polarization, no matter how far apart they are. And they will know it instantaneously, as if each instantly 'remembered' it should be polarized horizontally, not up and down. From this discovery the mechanics theorized that it is possible to transmit information faster than light, though to their disgrace they never succeeded in doing so. But their brains are small where the Entity's is measureless. it seemed She had found a way not only to communicate but to instantaneously touch and manipulate particles across and through the reaches of space. How she did so, I still do not understand. At the beginning of time all the particles of the universe were crushed together into a single point; all the particles were as one, in the singularity Memory is everything. All particles remember the instant the singularity exploded and the universe was born. In that way the universe is nothing but memory. Everything in the universe is woven of a single superluminal fabric. Tat tvam asi, That thou art.---Neverness by David Zindell I know I said I'd try 2 stay away from "The Big Bang Theory", but here it is, nonetheless... The true human being is the meaning of the universe. He is a dancing star. He is the exploding singularity with infinite possibilities. <i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 8/17/02 12:14:14 pm </i> |
Author: | danlo60 [ Thu Mar 27, 2003 2:16 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Quantum theory |
I read an article in last Sunday's paper about a new book that speculates about the combination of quantum physics with computers. I swear I will dig it up and post it here, over the weekend. Truly facsinating stuff, Captian. I'd like 2 congratulate Damelon 4 all his hard work in this topic--in the short 2 weeks since he has bcome moderator this 4rum has jumped past 2 others (in # of posts) 2 bcome 1 of the most popular 4rums in The Vild! Good job man! And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited. Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 3/28/03 11:35:57 pm </i> |
Author: | danlo60 [ Fri Mar 28, 2003 5:27 am ] |
Post subject: | Shortcut by George Johnson |
Ok so I found it quicker than I should have. And now that I've had a chance 2 look at the article and other reviews in depth I realize I had a chance 2 meet this guy. George Johnson is a comp whiz and scientific writer 4 the NY Times, he lives in Santa Fe NM and is part of a think tank called The Dwan Sanctuary which is sponsored by the Armand Hammer College in Montezuma NM. My comp whiz buddy, Black Forrest, who is the head systems engineer 4 the Natl Center for Genome Resources knos George pretty well, and I just missed meeting him on 1 or 2 occasions. Harnessing Atoms to Create Superfast Computers By IAN FOSTER A SHORTCUT THROUGH TIME The Path to the Quantum Computer By George Johnson. George Johnson's "Shortcut Through Time" addresses one of the most excruciatingly complex, mysterious and deeply fascinating topics in modern science, namely quantum computing: the manipulation of quantum states to perform computations far faster than is possible on any conventional computer. The book's remarkable achievement is that it makes this deeply arcane topic accessible and understandable - even, I think, for the reader unsophisticated in physics or computing. It opens a door to broader understanding of this important field and sets a new standard for science writing. I was originally reluctant to review this book. I am a computer scientist with a guilty secret: I've never really understood quantum computing. How could I write a review without revealing my ignorance? However, as I began the preface, I became intrigued and then excited. Mr. Johnson, a contributing science writer for The New York Times, says he wrote the book not to profile the personalities in the field, but to lead the reader toward a tentative understanding of quantum computing. To take the reader along as he, the writer, strains "to grasp an idea with an imprecise metaphor, only to discard it for another with a tighter fit, closing in on an airy notion from several directions, triangulating on approximate truth." And: "I want the reader to feel that we are both on the same side - outsiders seeking a foothold on the slippery granite face of a new idea." I was hooked. So much of what passes for science writing nowadays is really human-interest journalism, focused on the quirks and conflicts of science's eccentric personalities, and is only incidentally concerned with science itself. Yet here was someone who proposed to take a problem at the forefront of science and address it on its own terms. Perhaps my ignorance was a virtue: I could serve as an experimental subject, reading the book and reporting on whether I arrived at the promised land. Approached from this perspective, the book took on the allure of a good mystery. Mr. Johnson, like a seasoned crime writer, sets the scene and then introduces a series of increasingly intriguing metaphors, each of which unveils another aspect of Q.C., as I'll call it. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Q.C.'s secret could be revealed at the turn of any page. For me, the initial forays covered familiar ground. But Mr. Johnson soon entered unfamiliar territory, exploring the mysteries of superposition and entanglement. Along the way, we discover that we are dealing not with an obscure and eccentric academic curiosity, but with a dangerous character. (In addition to mystery, we have drama!) Q.C., it has been shown in the last few years, could defeat some of the fundamental codes that secure many electronic communications. The security of these public key cryptography mechanisms relies on the fact that on even the fastest computers, performing a particular computation - factoring, or breaking into their constituent pieces, large numbers - takes an unimaginably long time. Yet in 1994 Peter Shor, a mathematician, showed how Q.C. could do this same operation much faster - in a few minutes. Q.C. could provide a shortcut through time. Just why this is possible is at the heart of this concise but dense book. The particulars depend on the clever manipulations of two fundamental properties of the quantum world - superposition and entanglement. Superposition lets a single quantum switch be on and off at the same time; entanglement allows the state of one quantum switch to be linked with that of another. Set up just right, a collection of such quantum switches can, in principle, be used to build a computer that manipulates many numbers at once - transforming millions of numbers in one step, or, via mind-numbingly complex manipulations, factoring the numbers that support our financial and national security. Fortunately for those who use codes to maintain secrets, we also learn that Q.C. does not exist yet, at least not in a useful form. As Mr. Johnson notes, the world record for building a quantum computer involves just seven qubits (quantum switches, pronounced like the word cubits) operating for less than a second. A quantum computer with several thousand qubits and able to run for hours is not expected anytime soon. The problems involved in scaling up are complex and hard to resolve. They relate to the tendency of superposed quantum states to collapse to a single value - either on or off - when the real world impinges. "A Shortcut Through Time" is not all metaphor. It also touches on the history of this young field, noting a prescient paper by the physicist Richard P. Feynman, who postulated in 1982 that quantum computing might be possible. (Also mentioned is the independent work by a less famous but just as visionary physicist, Paul Benioff, formerly of the Argonne National Laboratory.) But what makes this book a delight and a rare gem of science writing is the science itself, and Mr. Johnson's engagement with that science. He promises that he is not going to cheat by implying omniscience with his subject), and he does not. The result is fascinating and tremendously engaging. After all this, you may be wondering whether I now understand quantum computing. Well, there are some who argue that quantum physics is so foreign to human experience that no one can truly understand it, only manipulate its mathematical rules. Mr. Johnson does not use mathematics and he skips many details. ("We are operating here on a need-to-know basis," he states.) But I found that with him at my side, I could reach that delicate mental state that feels like understanding. Now this state, like a quantum superposition, may collapse to ignorance when I try to explain it to someone, but in the meantime, I feel less guilty. Ian Foster is a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory and a professor of computer science at the University of Chicago. And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited. Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i></i> |
Author: | Damelon [ Sat Mar 29, 2003 1:57 am ] |
Post subject: | Re: Quantum theory |
Thanks Danlo for the kind words. I intend, once I get some time away from work, to start a couple of other topics and get this forum a rockin. I was going to answer your first post yesterday night, but I got sidetracked. I'm glad u found the article. I had heard of quantum mechanics being involved in some super form of encription, but not as a code breaker. Very interesting. <i></i> |
Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC |
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |