The Talk • Hacker News Board

Re: The Talk

#11

Post by ruffin » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 2:11 PM UTC

mrfusion wrote: post #2

I'd like to see more complex topics explained this way. Imagine an organic chemistry comic novel! I think people make a lot of topics seem way more complicated than they need to be, probably to make themselves feel important.

I really enjoy The Illustrated Guide to Law.

http://lawcomic.net/guide/?page_id=5

Re: The Talk

#12

Post by golergka » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 2:13 PM UTC

mrfusion wrote: post #2

I'd like to see more complex topics explained this way. Imagine an organic chemistry comic novel! I think people make a lot of topics seem way more complicated than they need to be, probably to make themselves feel important.

While I really enjoyed the comic, I don't think that it would actually explain anything to someone who had only been reading about quantum mechanics in some popular science articles.

Re: The Talk

#13

Post by Ma8ee » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 2:21 PM UTC

geezerjay wrote: post #6

mrfusion wrote: post #2

I'd like to see more complex topics explained this way. Imagine an organic chemistry comic novel! I think people make a lot of topics seem way more complicated than they need to be, probably to make themselves feel important.

> I'd like to see more complex topics explained this way. The rubber duck strikes again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging

I don't see what this has to do with rubber ducking.

Re: The Talk

#14

Post by grabcocque » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 2:22 PM UTC

The even bigger problem is that current quantum computers, if indeed they are, are not heading down the universal quantum computer route, but instead heading down the route of adiabatic quantum annealing. I mean if you can explain that to your kids, could you explain it to me?

I would take issue with various claims in the comic anway. The idea that quantum mechanics is a "generalisation of probability" is itself a simplification. The wave function can be used to derive the probability P=Ψ.Ψ*, but it's not probability per se. It does neatly encapsulate why the Copenhagen Interpretation of the wavefunction leads to a lot of magical thinking about what the wave function represents.

Re: The Talk

#15

Post by grabcocque » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 2:31 PM UTC

mrfusion wrote: post #2

I'd like to see more complex topics explained this way. Imagine an organic chemistry comic novel! I think people make a lot of topics seem way more complicated than they need to be, probably to make themselves feel important.

It's a fact often established that people whose work is incomprehensible are held in high regard.

Re: The Talk

#16

Post by adekok » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 2:50 PM UTC

(ex) Nuclear physicist here. I wish I had had this explanation at the start of my quantum mechanics courses.

Re: The Talk

#17

Post by cschmidt » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 2:51 PM UTC

kenferry wrote: post #5

mrfusion wrote: post #2

I'd like to see more complex topics explained this way. Imagine an organic chemistry comic novel! I think people make a lot of topics seem way more complicated than they need to be, probably to make themselves feel important.

The Cartoon Guide to Genetics is terrific. I remember the material in there because it's presented so well.

I'm a huge fan of the Cartoon Guide to Statistics. I imagine all Larry Gonick's books are worth a read:

http://www.larrygonick.com/

Re: The Talk

#18

Post by tgb » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 2:52 PM UTC

grabcocque wrote: post #14

The even bigger problem is that current quantum computers, if indeed they are, are not heading down the universal quantum computer route, but instead heading down the route of adiabatic quantum annealing. I mean if you can explain that to your kids, could you explain it to me? I would take issue with various claims in the comic anway. The idea that quantum mechanics is a "generalisation of probability" is itself a si…

The co-author Scott Aaronson has a chapter in his lecture notes about that "suspect" subject which does a good job of motivating it: http://www.scottaaronson.com/democritus/lec9.html His whole book on the subject "Quantum Computing Since Democritus" is excellent and worth a read.

Re: The Talk

#19

Post by devilsavocado » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 2:53 PM UTC

For a more in-depth, but still funny and entertaining, explanation of quantum computing check out 'Quantum Computing Since Democritus' by Scott Aaronson, the co-author of this comic.

Re: The Talk

#20

Post by andrewclunn » Thu, Dec 15, 2016, 3:07 PM UTC

On the scale of, "Scientists keep their discoveries hidden," to, "Overly simplified explanations abound in order to 'popularize' science," we've definitely gone too far the other way. Of course the only remedy then is more precise explanation. Favorited.