For this new edition, Tony Hey has updated the lectures with an invited
chapter from Professor John Preskill on “Quantum Computing 40 Years
Later”. This contribution captures the progress made toward building a
quantum computer since Feynman’s original suggestions in 1981. The last
25 years have also seen the “Moore’s law” roadmap for the IT industry
coming to an end. To reflect this transition, John Shalf, Senior Scientist
at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has contributed a chapter
on “The Future of Computing beyond Moore’s Law”. The final update
for this edition is an attempt to capture Feynman’s interest in artificial
intelligence and artificial neural networks. Eric Mjolsness, now a Professor
of Computer Science at the University of California Irvine, was a Teaching
Assistant for Feynman’s original lecture course and his research interests
are now the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning
for multi-scale science. He has contributed a chapter called “Feynman
on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning” that captures the early
discussions with Feynman and also looks toward future developments.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword by Bill Gates.................................................................................... vii
Editor’s Preface...................................................................................................ix
Feynman’s Preface...........................................................................................xix
Author and Editor Biographies......................................................................xxi
Contributors................................................................................................... xxiii
1 Introduction to Computers....................................................................... 1
2 Computer Organization.......................................................................... 19
3 The Theory of Computation................................................................... 47
4 Coding and Information Theory........................................................... 85
5 Reversible Computation and the Thermodynamics of
Computing............................................................................................... 125
6 Quantum Mechanical Computers....................................................... 169
7 Quantum Computing 40 Years Later.................................................. 193
John Preskill
8 Physical Aspects of Computation....................................................... 245
9 The Future of Computing beyond Moore’s Law...............................311
John Shalf
10 Feynman on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.......... 333
Eric Mjolsness
