Fredkin teaches "The Physics of Theoretical Computation"

[gusl]

Ed Fredkin is going to be teaching a class at CMU this Spring. I got this by email today.

I originally just sent this to the undergrads, but it's probably worth letting everyone know about it as the room will seat 100...

Mark

Begin forwarded message:

> Date: January 4, 2008 10:20:31 AM EST
> Subject: new S08 course - The Physics of Theoretical Computation
>
> Folks,
>
> A brand new course, The Physics of Theoretical Computation, is being offered for the first time this Spring semester. The details are given below and a pdf flier is attached.
>
> The course appears to be very interesting and there are NO prereqs (although my sense is that this is more likely to appeal to upper-division students than freshmen and sophomores, I think everyone who finds the Physics/CS combination interesting ought to check it out!).
>
> Cross-listed as 15-508 and 33-608, this will be considered a valid CS or Physics elective both for majors and minors.
> If you need any more information about the course, you should contact the instructor, Prof. Ed Fredkin, or his assistant, Dr. Anand Priyadarshee.
>
> If you need help in adding the course to your schedule, let me know.
>
> And enjoy the rest of your break!
>
> Mark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A New Course for Spring 2008
>
> 15-508 Special Topic: The Physics of Theoretical Computation
> (cross-listed as)
> 33-608 Special Topics in Computational Physics:
> The Physics of Theoretical Computation
>
> 9 units
> Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30 - 4:50 pm
> Baker Hall A51
>
> Instructor:
> Ed Fredkin
> Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science
>
> Some lectures will be given at Boston University with a live broadcast
> at Carnegie Mellon. All videotaped lectures will also be available on
> the course website.
>
> Course Description:
> On the surface, theoretical physics and computer science appear very
> distinct and unrelated. On the quantum level, the interactions among
> fundamental particles are hard to understand and sometimes bizarre. On
> the other hand the basic microscopic interactions among bits in a
> computer processor are extraordinarily simple and straightforward. On a
> human level, physics - governed by symmetries and conservation
> principles - is wonderfully well behaved and amenable to mathematical
> analysis. The same cannot be said for a Microsoft OS. We will explore
> ways to redefine the fundamental operations of theoretical computation,
> making it consistent with aspects of theoretical physics, so that models
> of computation can benefit from conservation laws and symmetries. This
> will involve looking at digital logic and cellular automata that are
> designed to operate with strong conservation laws. Those attending this
> course should be able to develop an informational perspective, based on
> laws of universal applicability, that may allow for a deeper
> understanding of some aspects of theoretical physics.
>
> Pre-reqs: The course is open to all students with strong interest in
> Physics and Computer Science.
>
> About the instructor:
> Professor Ed Fredkin is currently a Distinguished Career Professor at
> Carnegie Mellon University. He has previously been a Professor of
> Computer Science at MIT, Director of the MIT Laboratory for Computer
> Science, a Fairchild Distinguished Scholar at Caltech, and a Research
> Professor of Physics at Boston University. In 1984 he was awarded the
> Dickson Prize in Science. His research efforts have been mainly in the
> fields of computer science and physics. His work has led to a new
> research area of reversible computing and has been critical to the idea
> of "universe as computer".