Unit 10: Physical Systems, Lecture 1

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This video is the first of three lectures in this unit. The second lecture of this unit is missing due to technical reasons.

Instructors: Prof. Paul Penfield, Prof. Seth Lloyd

 

Readings

Notes, Chapter 10: Physical Systems (PDF)

Steane, Andrew M., and Wim van Dam. "Physicists Triumph at Guess My Number." Physics Today 53 (February 2000): 35-39.
A charming introduction to superdense coding, in which the transmission of a classical bit can convey more than a bit of information if the channel is set up in advance using quantum entanglement.

Homework

Problem Set 9 (PDF)

Problem Set 9 Solutions (PDF)

Resources

Technical

There are many Web sites that discuss quantum mechanics. Naturally, some are better than others, and some assume a higher level of expertise on the part of visitors than others. Here are a few.

Historical

The pioneers of quantum mechanics:

Books

Amazon logo Hagelstein, Peter L., Stephen D. Senturia, and Terry P. Orlando. Introduction to Applied Quantum and Statistical Physics. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2004. ISBN: 9780471202769.
There are many excellent textbooks dealing with quantum mechanics at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level. Unfortunately there is little if anything in the way of good explanations at a simpler level. This is an excellent set of notes, by MIT faculty, used for 6.728 Applied Quantum and Statistical Physics.

Amazon logo Polkinghorne, John. Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780192802521.
The predictions of quantum mechanics have been verified repeatedly in careful experiments, and the theory has been used effectively in the design of practical systems. Nevertheless, it cannot be explained in terms that are compatible with everyday experience. The field that tries to do this is sometimes called the "philosophy of quantum mechanics." This is one of the best, most readable books describing the status of such attempts.