Quantum Computing Since Democritus: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Book on quantum computing by [[Scott Aaronson]]}}

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| website = {{Official website|1=http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9781107302105}}

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== Contents ==

Aaronson has stated that he intends the book to be at the same level as [[Leonard Susskind]]'s ''[[The Theoretical Minimum]]'' or [[Roger Penrose]]'s ''[[The Road to Reality]]'';<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://motls.blogspot.com/2013/04/scott-aaronson-quantum-computing-since.html|title=Scott Aaronson: Quantum Computing since Democritus|website=The Reference Frame|access-date=2017-09-10}}</ref> ''[[Physics Today]]'' compared it to [[George Gamow]]'s ''[[One Two Three... Infinity]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Sullivan|first=Francis|date=2014-02-28|title=Quantum Computing Since Democritus|journal=Physics Today|volume=67|issue=3|pages=54–56|doi=10.1063/PT.3.2315|issn=0031-9228|bibcode=2014PhT....67c..54S|doi-access=free}}</ref> The book covers everything from [[computer science]] to [[mathematics]] to [[quantum mechanics]] and [[quantum computing]], starting, as the title indicates, with [[Democritus]].

=== Front cover ===

The front cover image is an oil canvas painting of Democritus by [[Hendrick ter Brugghen|Hendrik ter Brugghen]] dated 1628.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Democritus, Hendrick ter Brugghen, 1628 |url=https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-2783 |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=Rijksmuseum |language=en}}</ref> It depicts Democritus as a young, laughing hedonist who points in the distance, as to where the folly of mankind is found.

The image invokes Aaronson's discussions<ref>{{Cite web |title=PHYS771 Lecture 1: Atoms and the Void |url=https://www.scottaaronson.com/democritus/lec1.html |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=www.scottaaronson.com}}</ref> on Democritus' concept of atoms and the void, which forms the foundational understanding of matter at the atomic level, is relevant to quantum computing, where manipulating and controlling individual quantum objects for calculations echoes the early atomic theory's significance.

== Author ==

Scott Aaronson is a professor of [[theoretical computer science]] at the [[University of Texas at Austin]]. He was previously a member of the faculty at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=123406|title=NSF Honors Two Early Career Researchers With Alan T. Waterman Award {{!}} NSF - National Science Foundation|website=www.nsf.gov|language=en|access-date=2017-09-10|archive-date=2021-07-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708084729/https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=123406|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Reception ==

In the ''[[Journal of the American Mathematical Society]],'' [[Avi Wigderson]] considered it to have "much insight, wisdom, and fun", but conceded that it "is not for everyone". Widgerson noted in particular that the book would have been easier to read if it had provided more background material, and that it had little in the way of references to prior literature.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wigderson|first=Avi|title=Quantum Computing Since Democritus Book Review|url=https://www.ams.org/notices/201410/rnoti-p1218.pdf|journal=Journal of the American Mathematical Society|year=2014|volume=61| issue = 10|pages=1218–1220|doi=10.1090/noti1176|doi-access=free}}</ref> Reviewing the book for ''[[Physics Today]],'' Francis Sullivan deemed it "stimulating", while saying that it "covers too much territory to be used as a textbook" and taking exception with Aaronson's attitude "that mathematicians like complication because it makes things more interesting".<ref name=":0" /> Frederic Green's enthusiastic review for [[ACM SIGACT|''SIGACT News'']] also judged the book poorly suited for a classroom text, except possibly in "a seminar-style course with a fairly open structure".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Green |first=Frederic |date=2013-12-10 |title=Review quantum computing since democritus by Scott Aaronson |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2556663.2556673 |journal=ACM SIGACT News |language=en |volume=44 |issue=4 |pages=42–47 |doi=10.1145/2556663.2556673 |issn=0163-5700|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

[[Michael Nielsen]] called the book "a beautiful synthesis of what we know",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1277#comment-66937|title=Comment by Michael Nielsen on Shtetl-Optimized Quantum Computing Since Democritus: The Buzz Intensifies|website=www.scottaaronson.com|date=22 March 2013 |language=en-US|access-date=2017-09-09}}</ref> while [[Seth Lloyd]] praised it as "lucid", describing Aaronson as a "tornado of intellectual activity".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9781107302105|title=Quantum Computing since Democritus - Cambridge University Press|website=www.cambridge.org|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}}</ref>

The [[JournalReviel ofNetz]] gave the Americanbook Mathematicala Society]]positive consideredreview itin to''Common haveKnowledge'', quipping that "muchI insight,suspect wisdom,that andI fun",was butsent concededthis thatbook by mistake; despite its title, it "ishas notnothing forto everyone'do with ancient science, my field."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=WigdersonNetz |first=AviReviel |date=2014 |title=Quantum Computing Sincesince Democritus Bookby Scott Aaronson (review) Review|url=https://wwwmuse.amsjhu.orgedu/noticesarticle/201410/rnoti-p1218.pdf558134 |journal=JournalCommon ofKnowledge the American Mathematical Society|year=2014|volume=6120 | issue =3 10|pages=1218–1220490–491 |doiissn=10.1090/noti1176|doi1538-access=free4578}}</ref>

== References ==