Ultimate Zero and One: Computing at the Edge of Nature

by Scott H. Clearwater and Colin P. Williams

Book Overview

As miniaturisation deepens, and nanotechnology and its machines become more prevalent in the real world, the need to consider using quantum mechanical concepts to perform various tasks in computation increases. Such tasks include: the teleporting of information, breaking heretofore "unbreakable" codes, communicating with messages that betray eavesdropping, and the generation of random numbers. This is the first book to apply quantum physics to the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0387947698
• ISBN13: 9780387947693
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Copernicus Books
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 1.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

The ultimate Qbook

If you are interested in the promising field of quantum computing, this one is the primer to read. It's very well written, coherent, and goes deep enough as to challenge the reader's mind. However, don't be intimidated by the math. Even if one skips the mathematical concepts the reader will be able to understand the book and more importantly the concepts behind it. Good read, good buy.

Exciting Intellectual Challenge!

Williams has framed the conundrum posed by the quest for higher and higher speeds and smaller and smaller formats for computing in an excellent statement of the problem and an intriguing response. If capable of being implemented, this seminal book for the scientifically oriented lay person, posits an entirely new way to look at computing and telecommunications, using current knowledge and its extensions concerning quantum physics, to outline a design for computers and communicators (teleporters?) of the future. As he states, at the present pace of computing speed development, we will be at the ultimate speed and molecular level in approximately the year 2028. Then what? Quantum computing. The book is also an intriguing teaser for venture capitalists, who may wish to get in on the bottom line in this endeavor. The rewards, if achievable, are almost boundless. It is interesting to note that a cover of the new magazine SKEPTIC pans quantum cmechanics,, by relegating its image to the label of an elixir bottle. Is this another "fountain of youth?" or "cold fusion?" The author makes a strong, if not somewhat complex case for a negative response to that question. This is a must read for cutting edge thinkers both in the realm of computing and physics and deserves a studied analysis. Highly recommended.