Human mind excels at quantum-physics computer game [kill some time]

[Ufostrahlen]

The game, called Quantum Moves, is based on a real problem in quantum computing: how fast a laser can move an atom between wells in an egg-box-like structure without changing the energy of the atom, which is in a delicate quantum state. In the quantum world, speed and energy are a trade-off limited by Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, so the trick is to find the sweet spot where the transition from one place to another is as fast as possible without disturbing the quantum state. Endless possible combinations of movement and timing exist, and scientists have designed computer algorithms to try to solve the problem.

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Sherson’s team got around 300 people to play this level a total of 12,000 times on a volunteer-research platform called ScienceAtHome. The researchers then fed the human solutions into a computer for further refinement. Not only were more than half of the human-inspired solutions more efficient than those produced by just computer algorithms, but the two best hybrid strategies were faster than what the quickest computers had been able to achieve working alone. “I was completely amazed when we saw the results,” says Sherson.

http://www.nature.com/news/human-mind-excels-at-quantum-physics-computer-game-1.19725

Nice little game to help solve QC problems. I got bored and killed an hour or two, while being productive. Even broke some highscores with little effort. No steep learning curve. Download here:

https://www.scienceathome.org/games/quantum-moves/game

 

[Koornut]

I heard about this on the nature podcast yesterday, cool stuff.
They also mentioned a game that helps with protein folding and another one to do with nuerons I can't remember the specifics though.

I really like this idea of outsourcing human cognition to help the scientific method along. For Ley idiots such as myself it make me feel good knowing that I can help in even the smallest way.

 

[Ufostrahlen]

I heard about this on the nature podcast yesterday, cool stuff.
They also mentioned a game that helps with protein folding and another one to do with nuerons I can't remember the specifics though.

The games are Foldit and Explore | EyeWire. I've played both. Foldit actually quite often, but it requires _alot_ of attention. Not a quick game like Quantum Moves. Eyewire is more like image recognition, gets boring after a while.