Quantum Computing Since Democritus: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Book by Scott Aaronson}}

{{Infobox book

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| name = Quantum Computing Since Democritus

| image = Quantum Computing Since Democritus.jpg

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| pages = 398

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| isbn = 978-0521199568

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

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'''Quantum Computing Since Democritus''' is a 2013 book on [[quantum information science]] written by [[Scott Aaronson]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/physics/quantum-physics-quantum-information-and-quantum-computation/quantum-computing-democritus#KC913ZrlGKlyMFTd.97|title=Quantum computing democritus {{!}} Quantum physics, quantum information and quantum computation|website=Cambridge University Press|language=en|access-date=2017-09-09}}</ref> It is loosely based on a course Aaronson taught at the [[University of Waterloo]], Canada, the lecture notes for which are available online.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scottaaronson.com/democritus/|title=PHYS771 Quantum Computing Since Democritus|website=www.scottaaronson.com|access-date=2017-09-09}}</ref>

== 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|url=http://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/PT.3.2315|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|last=|first=|date=|website=www.scottaaronson.com|language=en-US|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|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>

[[Reviel Netz]] gave the book a positive review in ''Common Knowledge'', quipping that "I suspect that I was sent this book by mistake; despite its title, it has nothing to do with ancient science, my field."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Netz |first=Reviel |date=2014 |title=Quantum Computing since Democritus by Scott Aaronson (review) |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/558134 |journal=Common Knowledge |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=490–491 |issn=1538-4578}}</ref>

The [[Journal of the American Mathematical Society]] considered it to have "much insight, wisdom, and fun", but conceded that it "is not for everyone',<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wigderson|first=Avi|date=|title=Quantum Computing Since Democritus Book Review|url=http://www.ams.org/notices/201410/rnoti-p1218.pdf|journal=Journal of the American Mathematical Society|volume=61, Number 10|pages=1218-1220|via=}}</ref> while [[Luboš Motl|Luboṥ Motl]] praised Aaronson's writing as "very witty, narcisistically ([[sic]]) witty", but considered the book to be scientifically dubious.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://motls.blogspot.com/2013/04/scott-aaronson-prototype-of-some.html|title=Scott Aaronson: a prototype of some confusion of IT scientists about physics|website=The Reference Frame|access-date=2017-09-10}}</ref>

== References ==

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[[Category:Quantum computing]]

[[Category:Quantum information theory]]

[[Category:2013 non-fiction books]]

[[Category:Popular science books]]