Computers in Physics

Quantum Physics and Computers

Recent theoretical results confirm that quantum theory provides the possibility of new ways of performing efficient calculations. The most striking example is the factoring problem. It has recently been shown that computers that exploit quantum features could factor large composite integers. This task is believed to be out of reach of classical computers as soon as the number of digits in the n...

Richard Feynman: Simulating Physics with Computers

Richard Feynman is known in various circles as a quantumtheoretical physicist, engineer, samba drummer, nobel prize winner, lock picker, radio repairer, and all around curious character. In this paper, we examine a keynote address at the California Institute of Technology in May 19811 in which he proposes the idea of a computer that could act as a quantum mechanical simulator[?]. As we will dis...

From Digital computers to quantum computers based on biological paradigms and progress in particle physics

While several paths have emerged recently in microelectronics and computing as follow-on’s to Turing architectures implemented using essentially silicon circuits, very little “Beyond Moore” research has considered, first biological processes instead of sequential instructions, and, next the implementation of these processes exploiting particle physics interactions. This combination allows e.g. ...

Computers in Teaching-Learning of Physics Discipline: Investigating Different Methodologies

Nowadays, the use of the computer science is an unquestionable fact in all sections of our society. In the last years, in Brazil, some public and private incentives have been permitting to take for some teaching institutions a little of this reality. Therefore what we can question today is not if the computer has out not to enter schools, since this is unavoidable but how technology has to be i...

Resource letter CPE-1: Computers in physics education