From: Toby Weston (lordlobster@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Nov 26 2009 - 09:52:30 MST
Of course it is physical.
A quantum computer is also physical.
I am suggesting here (not my idea by the way) that it is conceivable that an information processing apparatus could be built not out of atoms but out of the rules of quantum mechanics. The matter that "spawns" such a machine would be physical. The running algorithm would not be physical, i.e. not made of atoms or energy. And not even running directly on physical matter as a substrate but running on whatever exists in Schrödinger's box between measurements.
Toby
On 26 Nov 2009, at 17:15, "John K Clark" <johnkclark@fastmail.fm> wrote:
On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 "Toby Weston" <lordlobster@yahoo.com> said:
An engineered quantum information processing system would not be
physical,
Would you say Charles Babbage's difference engine was physical? If you
would then a quantum computer is physical too, if you would not then the
word had no meaning in your language.
John K Clark
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