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Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse: The Quest for the Quantum Computer
 
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Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse: The Quest for the Quantum Computer [Hardcover]

J R Brown (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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J.R. Brown
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Amazon.co.uk Review

Apart from a few promising prototypes, quantum computers don't really exist yet, but never mind that--the very thought of them is enough to give a geek goosebumps. Imagine it: a computer capable of processing data not just on your desktop but in a million parallel universes all at once. The concept sounds like science fiction, but the freaky laws of quantum physics make it a concrete possibility. And the implications--as science journalist Julian Brown makes plain in Minds, Machines and the Multiverse: The Quest for the Quantum Computer, a daunting yet consistently gripping look at quantum computation's high frontiers--are sweeping.

Computers powered by quantum weirdness, Brown tells us, could outperform existing machines to astronomical degrees, solving in minutes problems classical computers might take millennia to work through. But more to the point, the theoretical research that is making quantum computers plausible--led by gifted physicists like Rolf Landauer, David Deutsch and the late Richard Feynman--has already opened up intriguing new ways of thinking about the world and about computation's place in it.

But Brown shows equal commitment to explaining not only what makes quantum computers fascinating but what makes them work. This is not, in other words, a book for those who blanch at the sight of complex equations and circuit diagrams. Still, Brown's explanations, while dense with information, are unerringly lucid, and anyone who sticks with them to the end will come away with exactly what this book promises: a penetrating understanding of a mind-bending technology. --Julian Dibbell, amazon.com

Synopsis

A science journalist reveals the existence of the world's first quantum computer--created by a team of Silicon Valley researchers and able to simultaneously compute all possible solutions to a problem, making it the most powerful computer in the world.

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4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A quantum learning leap, 15 Aug 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Quest for the Quantum Computer (Paperback)
A vigorous, detailed and penetrating tour de force into the fascinating realm of quantum physics and computability is what science journalist Julian Brown brings us in 'Quest for the Quantum Computer.' Brown's extensive coverage of quantum theory for New Scientist has paid off handsomely. The author, in clean and not excessively technical prose, gives a detail-studded and insightful account of the development of the concept of quantum computing. Despite all the media hype and hubbub, I had no accurate idea of what was meant by quantum computing -- until I read 'Quest.' Some sections, though requiring little or no mathematical background, nevertherless require use of one's mathematical faculties. But even if these sections are skimmed, a general reader comes away satisfied that he or she has learnt a great deal. Brown's commitment to professionalism is shown by inclusion of numerous illustrations, eight appendices on technicalities, a useful bibliography and careful chapter notes.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great reading, 15 April 2003
This review is from: Quest for the Quantum Computer (Paperback)
Very interesting book with a good historical overview of the subject. Relatively easy reading with no formulas but consequently for a scientist a little superficial. I liked it and will also read some of the references in this book.
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Amazon.com: 4.0 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-blowing!, 8 May 2000
By arnold trent - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse: The Quest for the Quantum Computer (Hardcover)
A wonderful overview of the history and science of this extraordinary new discipline. Brown's documentary approach interlaces explanations of quantum computers with comments from the pioneers of this field including David Deutsch and Richard Feynman. It makes for riveting reading with many witty asides thrown into some far-sighted discussions of where the subject is leading. David Deutsch comes across as a true visionary even if his ideas concerning multiple universes sound far-fetched. Rather like Penrose's, "The Emperor's New Mind", Brown caters for multiple tastes by writing for a general audience but adding (mostly in appendices) some mathematical explanations and circuit diagrams. These can be can be safely skipped without losing the narrative thread. A pity to do so though because his explanations are a delight. Thoroughly recommended.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Important topic marred by dull presentation, 26 May 2002
By D. Cloyce Smith - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Quest for the Quantum Computer (Paperback)
I read "Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse" (reprinted in paperback as "The Quest for the Quantum Computer") alongside David Deutsch's "The Fabric of Reality," thinking that Julian Brown's journalism would help elucidate Deutsch's text, which I assumed would be more difficult. Ironically, not only did I find "The Fabric of Reality" far more exciting and readable, but, even on its own terms, Brown's book was often monotonous and unimaginative.

While the first and last chapters are quite fascinating, the meat of the book reads like an endless serious of abstracts of articles excerpted from mathematical, physics, and computing journals, separated by droll subheads ("Beam Me Up, Atom by Atom"). The major problem is that Brown doesn't seem to have any particular audience in mind. On the one hand, it's hard to imagine most lay readers sitting through his detailed expositions on various mathematics and physics concepts; on the other, math-savvy readers don't need to be told (to cite just one example) what ASCII is.

It's not just that Brown's book is knee-deep in mathematics, however. In fact, the math presented is really not that difficult--it's just boringly presented. The endless series of Alice, Bob, Carol, and Eve stories has all the verve of the litany of questions on the SAT. (Several times I found myself asking, "Which Bob is this?"). Likewise, the descriptions of logic gates are about as exciting as my college textbooks on linear algebra and number theory. Brown's presentation is hampered further by the lack of a glossary; he repeatedly expects the reader to remember terms he discussed over 100 pages earlier.

In sum, computer programmers and armchair mathematicians looking for a primer on the theoretical underpinnings of quantum computation might find this book a helpful introduction. The general reader, however, will have to wait for a well-written overview of the subject. In the meantime, I recommend "The Fabric of Reality" as a starting point.


10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars A book I really wanted to like..., 23 Mar 2002
By Scott Wheeler - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse: The Quest for the Quantum Computer (Hardcover)
But didn't. It tries really hard and has a noble goal, but I think falls quite short. This is a topic that I am quite passionate about and was one of the first books on the topic. At the end of reading this book you will have very many more questions and unfortunately very few clear ideas about the workings or theory of quantum computers. Over and again Brown stops just before giving you the details that you hope for. I've actually found David Deutsch's papers on quantum computing (at qubit.org) almost as accessibe and much more informative than this book, not to mention that they are much more concise.

If you're hoping to get a basic grasp of quantum computing, read John Gribben's "In Search of Schrödinger's Cat" for a non-technical crash course in quantum mechanics and then head for the scientific papers.

This book fails to gauge what a reader will be able to understand. This is a difficult task at times, but when writing "popular science" the author must choose a level to present the material at. Unfortunately in parts that aren't particularly interesting the author pushes this only to retreat at a point where things are getting interesting. You're left feeling, "No, really. I can take it!"

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