What in the name of god is bible study?

[Ben Kenobi]

Bible is bounded, Ben. My granma's has a front cover and a back cover.

So does Gabriel's Horn.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Elok
? I know it's a radically different technology not comparable to standard chips, but quantum computing does involve using the quantum state (whateverTF that is; I'm no physicist) of a single atom to perform calculations in base-18 or something instead of binary, right? My understanding of it is that, in a glib and overly-simplistic way, Ben is sort of right; the "chip" in question would be very small and immensely powerful, albeit quite dissimilar from computers like we have now.

But of course I'm not an expert. I only know about it from a Michael Crichton book, and he often mangles facts...case in point, The Terminal Man.

EDIT: Checked Wiki, couldn't decipher their entry. Got a headache trying. I'm going to assume Crichton got it wrong and I've been quoting nonsense until told otherwise, since this sounds way too complex to be boiled down in his usual fashion.

It's a fundamental paradigm shift. Current computers are binary (1/0 is ultimately everything). Quantum computers have far more states.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Originally posted by Elok
? I know it's a radically different technology not comparable to standard chips, but quantum computing does involve using the quantum state (whateverTF that is; I'm no physicist) of a single atom to perform calculations in base-18 or something instead of binary, right? My understanding of it is that, in a glib and overly-simplistic way, Ben is sort of right; the "chip" in question would be very small and immensely powerful, albeit quite dissimilar from computers like we have now.

And the thread turns again, to Quantum Computation possibilities. The key to this is, naturally enough, that you need to manipulate something with a property that can only be described by quantum mechanics, with quantum properties, like the spin of an electron or nucleus. With an electron, it can have only two different spin values. Since spin is a quantum property, you can make it so that you have to consider a certain electron/flow of electrons as being in a combination of BOTH spin values (yes, this is weird, since when you go to check, the value is either one or the other, never some combination). So this is like having a bit with value 0 and 1 simultaneously. Then, using these quantum bits or qu-bits due to some bizarre algorithms I don't understand, this lets you do a huge number of calculations to solve a problem in one operation, not one calculation at a time as in classical computing.

More puzzled? Well, that IS the state of those who actually understand quantum mechanics.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Asher
It's a fundamental paradigm shift. Current computers are binary (1/0 is ultimately everything). Quantum computers have far more states.

I expected better from you.

For everyone else - the reason quantum computer are faster [for a few specific problems only] is because they permit superpositions of states, that is each bit can hold both a 1 and a 0 simultaneously, and that using certain quantum-mechanical operations, the computer can effectively run an algorithm on the entire input space all in one go.

To rephrase that better: it's that quantum computers can essentially run multiple instances of a classical computer in parallel that provides a speedup.

[Asher]

The difference between your explanation and mine is that of target audience -- I tuned mine to the target audience, you didn't.

[Kuciwalker]

Yours was wrong.

[Asher]

It's actually not.

It can be 0, 1, or a superposition.

[Elok]

This is much better than a religious debate. Still arcane and hypothetical, but at least those who don't know WTF is being talked about know they don't know.

[Jaguar]

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Asher
It's actually not.

It can be 0, 1, or a superposition.

1) "superposition" is actually a whole lot of different states, which varies based on the particular design of the quantum computer.

2) Your explanation was wrong in that it gave the wrong reason for why quantum computers are faster [for specific applications]. I could design a computer with "bits" with 256 different states, but it algorithms run on it would have the same time complexity.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
1) "superposition" is actually a whole lot of different states

Hmm. That sounds familiar:

Quantum computers have far more states.

2) Your explanation was wrong in that it gave the wrong reason for why quantum computers are faster [for specific applications]. I could design a computer with "bits" with 256 different states, but it algorithms run on it would have the same time complexity.

I never said that's why it's faster. I said that's why it's a paradigm shift.

Don't correct people unless you've got something to correct.

[Straybow]

Originally posted by Traianvs
You're conflating different periods of time. May I remind you that Islam originated from the Arabic peninsula, most of which had a polytheistic population mixed with a Jewish population (from the diaspora). Mohammed saw monotheism as a tool for power and wished to create

1) a monotheistic religion that was based on the same Judaeo-Christian tradition (creating a monotheistic religion from scratch would be impossible), but had distinct Arabic traits so it would sway Arabs to follow suit and become followers of himself

2) a means to unite monotheism. In his era (7th century) there were a lot of conflicts between Christians and Jews in Jerusalem and Palestine in general. Mohammed and his immediate folowers sought to remove the rivalry by presenting a religion that went back to basics. This is why Muslims often present us with that oddity - that everyone in the world is a Muslim, as you might have heard from some wacko Muslims. Abraham for example was a Muslim in their view. Some people changed the ways and became Jew or Christian but essentially everyone is still Muslim. That was the genious idea of Mohammed really.

In consequence many people converted as Mohammed and his cronies gained military control over the area. Many people converted, and usually they did so quite willingly. It's only later (I forgot which caliphate exactly) that persecution started on a grander scale, and this was - as always - caused by socio-economical distress.

First, you have it backwards. Mohammed began preaching before there was any political struggle for power. He was seen as the crazy nutter shielded by the uncle. It was his preaching monotheism that gave opposing tribes the opportunity to mount opposition to the ruling tribes and depose them.

Once in exile the religion became a tool for power among the exiled, which power then expanded after regaining control in Mecca a decade later.

Second, the first non-Arab conversions (other than women taken in marriage) from conquered lands came about a century later. There was initially a strong division between "people of the book" and the conquerors' religion.

Third, dhimmitude was instigated in the earliest conquests while Mohammed was still alive. It is the privilege of the dhimmi to serve and their fortune to be left alive if the rulers decide to take their money and property.

Fourth, usurping of the lineage of Abraham for the Quraish tribe was an afterthought, introduced to try to win the Jews of Medina to Mohammed's cause. They laughed.

Fifth, the "all are Muslim" is a bit of intellectual shell game. At first they say the pea isn't under the Jewish or Christian shell but under the Muslim one. Then when the arguments fail they say it doesn't matter, they're all Muslim.