Spectacular Spectacular

Physics and Computer Science

So, quantum physics is obviously a scary field of Physics. It has things such as a cat that is both dead and alive at the same time. Well, this idea has now meshed with computer science. 

Quantum CPUs are quickly catching hold of the horizon that is the future in processing power. Using this idea of superposition, something that can exist in multiple states, University of California at Santa Barbara scientists have produced the first working (albeit buggy) quantum chip.

Since keeping the quantum bits of the processor in superposition is difficult as is, reading from them can destroy the superposition capabilities. Because of these problems, they decided on developing it with the von Neumann processor-memory architecture. 

This ability to exist as a 0 and 1 at the same time allows for much faster calculations than having bits exist as a 1 or 0. Though it is buggy and what not, it is still a large step in the direction of quantum computing.

Meanwhile, in England…

As many computer scientists know, the fundamental building blocks of all computers are various logic gates: AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, etc. If enough of these gates are combined to handle input, process input, and produce output, then, effectively, you have created a computer. Standards dictate the use of silicon in these gates, however, they are not required to be made of silicon. If a material allowed the flow of something, then could that not be used instead? Could gates be made of, say, crabs? The answer is yes. 

Scientists at Kobe University in England have successfully used Soldier Crabs to create an OR gate.

Soldier crabs are special in that they swarm. The outer edge crab are the leaders and the middle crabs follow suit. When two swarms meet, they will merge. In a geometrically controlled environment, the crabs would meet and join together. They could represent electrons. IN such an environment, the crabs, regardless of how many there are, produce a “flow”. In the absence of crabs, there is an absence of flow. 

Atheism and Computer Science?

Many people in the computer science field seem to be atheists. I am not saying that as a stereotype; many people in my classes and even a few of my professors seem to hold to atheism as a belief system. There is nothing wrong with believing in any particular belief system, I simply am perplexed and interested in the notion that being a computer scientist will cause you to have a tendency to be atheistic. 

I suppose it stems from the fact that, as a Computer Scientist, one has to be analytic. The nature of the CS beast is that one must show the abilities to be extremely analytic in how processes are carried out and to deal with conflict as precisely as possible. I also noticed that Christians are not as analytic as most people. My years in church showed me that, in church, people tend to simply sit and watch the pastor preach, not unlike staring at a tv. I would occasionally ask my parents what the sermon was about already knowing the answer because I paid attention, and they would fumble.

That being said, there are plenty of Christians who are extremely analytic; one friend of mine and I had a deep and civil discussion on Original Sin versus Incurred Sin. The debate was extremely knowledgeable; he clearly studied his belief system. Likewise, there are plenty of CSs who are Christians. One professor at my university is a young-creationist, which blew my mind completely. Regardless, I intend on actually researching this on my summer break.

Should Computer Science be Taught in Elementary Schools?

Computers are clearly never going away. They may evolve and change to be unrecognizable from what we have today; the computers of fifteen years ago look nothing like the ones of today. Because of their ability, they will simply be a part of human existence. Since they seem to be sticking around, should we not start teaching Computer Science to a younger generation, instead of teenagers just happening across some documentation that sparks interest? Maybe elementary school children do not need to know the transistor operations of a NOT gate or how to prove to grammars are closed under concatenation, but the principles of computer science.

Dr. Viera Krnanova Proulx wrote specifically about this idea. She also believes that children can be taught certain facets of Computer Science at an early age. Her proposal on how to go about teaching Computer Science seems to show that a broad concept can be taught to children. She continues to propose that the certain aspects we should teach are the representation of data, algorithms as a set of directives, the notion that computers are machines that carry out algorithms, how to discover new algorithms and analyze them, and algorithm based problem solving strategies. Without delving into too much detail, each concept is taught utilizing and building upon what is already established and learned. For example: data representation would build upon children’s natural love for secret code; algorithms are taught in narratives like “lather, rinse, repeat” from shampoo bottles.

Ultimately, teaching the basics of computer science might possibly be beneficial for multiple reasons. Within other areas of academia, the ability to create new algorithms and analyze them from a young age would prove useful later in higher level mathematics when solving equations. After all, solving equations is nothing more than a set of steps that alter from case to case (wait, what’s the definition of an algorithm?). Likewise, after learning about algorithm based problem solving strategies at a young age, as children grow older, they might end up utilizing these abilities to optimize other routines in life, both in and out of school.