ACCU Reviews: Feynman Lectures on Computation

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Book Review

Feynman Lectures on Computation by Richard P Feynman
Recommended

ISBN: 0 201 48991 0 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pages: 303pp Price: £29-95

Categories: reference

Reviewed by Francis Glassborow in C Vu 9-2 (Jan 1997)

In the early to mid-eighties Richard Feynman gave a course of lectures at Caltech called Potentialities and Limitations of Computing Machines . The editors have left these almost as they were with the exception of some fairly heavy pruning of the lecture Physical Aspects of Computation. Only the latter has suffered from the developments of the last ten years.

Even those familiar with the topics covered (the basics of computer design, Turing machines, quantum mechanical computers and the like) might enjoy and learn something new from reading this book. Feynman always brought his own unique perspective to whatever he did and this is abundantly evident in this book. He was one of those rare scientists who could write and speak fluently about his work.

If you are a student doing a Computer Science based course spend a few hours reading this book, it will not be wasted.

Last Update - 13 May 2001.

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