Decoding the Universe: How the New Science of Information Is Explaining Everythingin the Cosmos, fromOu r Brains to Black HolesThe author of Zero explains the scientific revolution that is transforming the way we understand our world Previously the domain of philosophers and linguists, information theory has now moved beyond the province of code breakers to become the crucial science of our time. In Decoding the Universe, Charles Seife draws on his gift for making cutting-edge science accessible to explain how this new tool is deciphering everything from the purpose of our DNA to the parallel universes of our Byzantine cosmos. The result is an exhilarating adventure that deftly combines cryptology, physics, biology, and mathematics to cast light on the new understanding of the laws that govern life and the universe. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 5 | |
DEMONS | 21 |
INFORMATION | 56 |
LIFE | 88 |
FASTER THAN LIGHT | 119 |
PARADOX | 153 |
QUANTUM INFORMATION | 180 |
Other editions - View all
Decoding the Universe: How the New Science of Information Is Explaining ... Charles Seife Limited preview - 2007 |
Decoding the Universe: How the New Science of Information Is Explaining ... Charles Seife Limited preview - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
able answer arXiv.org e-Print archive atoms ball beam behave bit of information black hole Boltzmann brain Carnot cells cipher codebreakers cold reservoir collapse container create decoherence detector digit e-Print archive www.arxiv.org Earth Einstein electron encoded energy engine Enigma entangled environment equations equilibrium event horizon example experiment fact faster fullerene genes genetic genome heat Heisenberg's hot reservoir Hubble bubble human information theory joule law of thermodynamics laws of information laws of quantum look machine manipulate marbles mathematics matter Maxwell's demon measure meters miles an hour molecules motion moving Nature nucleus observer paradox particle path photon physicists physics probability pulse quantum computer quantum information quantum mechanics quantum object quantum theory qubit radiation redundancy relativity Schrödinger's cat Science scientists second law seems Shannon speed of light spin stored stream string superposition symbols temperature there's thing tion transmit universe vacuum wave function yes/no questions