ACM

Communications of the ACM

Home/Magazine Archive/September 2016 (Vol. 59, No. 9)/Reconciling Quantum Physics with Math/Abstract

News

Reconciling Quantum Physics with Math

By Chris Edwards
Communications of the ACM, September 2016, Vol. 59 No. 9, Pages 11-13
10.1145/2967975
Comments

View as: Print Mobile App ACM Digital Library In the Digital Edition Share:

From left, Nikhil Srivastava, Adam Marcus, and Daniel Spielman shortly after completing the proof of the Kadison-Singer problem.

Credit: Nikhil Srivastava

A solution to a problem in mathematics that lingered unsolved for more than 50 years could help deliver faster computer algorithms to many problems in physics and signal processing. However, it may take years for mathematicians to fully digest the result, which was first published online three years ago.

The roots of the problem defined by Richard Kadison and Isadore Singer in the late 1950s lie in attempts to give the physics of quantum mechanics a footing in abstract mathematics. The concept it deals with traces back to Werner Heisenberg's initial work on quantum mechanics. Heisenberg used matrix mathematics to develop his model of the quantum world that says it is not possible to accurately measure simultaneously different properties of a physical system at the microscopic level.

No entries found

Log in to Read the Full Article

Sign In

Sign in using your ACM Web Account username and password to access premium content if you are an ACM member, Communications subscriber or Digital Library subscriber.

Need Access?

Please select one of the options below for access to premium content and features.

Create a Web Account

If you are already an ACM member, Communications subscriber, or Digital Library subscriber, please set up a web account to access premium content on this site.

Join the ACM

Become a member to take full advantage of ACM's outstanding computing information resources, networking opportunities, and other benefits.

Subscribe to Communications of the ACM Magazine

Get full access to 50+ years of CACM content and receive the print version of the magazine monthly.

Purchase the Article

Non-members can purchase this article or a copy of the magazine in which it appears.