Scott AaronsonCambridge University Press, 3/14/2013EAN 9780521199568, ISBN10: 0521199565Paperback, 404 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 2.6 cmLanguage: EnglishWritten by noted quantum computing theorist Scott Aaronson, this book takes readers on a tour through some of the deepest ideas of maths, computer science and physics. Full of insights, arguments and philosophical perspectives, the book covers an amazing array of topics. Beginning in antiquity with Democritus, it progresses through logic and set theory, computability and complexity theory, quantum computing, cryptography, the information content of quantum states and the interpretation of quantum mechanics. There are also extended discussions about time travel, Newcomb's Paradox, the anthropic principle and the views of Roger Penrose. Aaronson's informal style makes this fascinating book accessible to readers with scientific backgrounds, as well as students and researchers working in physics, computer science, mathematics and philosophy.1. Atoms and the void2. Sets3. Gödel, Turing, and friends4. Minds and machines5. Paleocomplexity6. P, NP, and friends7. Randomness8. Crypto9. Quantum10. Quantum computing11. Penrose12. Decoherence and hidden variables13. Proofs14. How big are quantum states?15. Skepticism of quantum computing16. Learning17. Interactive proofs and more18. Fun with the Anthropic Principle19. Free will20. Time travel21. Cosmology and complexity22. Ask me anything.Advance praise: 'Scott Aaronson has written a beautiful and highly original synthesis of what we know about some of the most fundamental questions in science: what is information? What does it mean to compute? What is the nature of mind and of free will? Highly recommended.' Michael Nielsen, author of Reinventing Discovery
