Computing Atlas

How Computing Was Built
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Field

Reversible Computing

Theory Of Computation

Reversible computing is any model of computation in which every step of the process is time reversible, meaning the input can be perfectly reconstructed from the output. In a system that progresses deterministically from one state to the next, this requires a one to one correspondence between each state and the state that follows it. Reversible computing is considered an unconventional approach to computation and is closely linked to quantum computing, since the principles of quantum mechanics inherently preserve reversibility.

Facts
Origin Year
1961 1
Core Concern
Designing computation so every step can be run backward, letting the output be used to reconstruct the input exactly. 1
Connections

Associated With

Source Wikipedia: Reversible computing
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Reversible computing
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Relation to thermodynamics section, first sentence
    As was first argued by Rolf Landauer while working at IBM in 1961, in order for a computational process to be physically reversible, it must also be logically reversible.
  • Lead paragraph, first sentence
    Reversible computing is any model of computation where every step of the process is time-reversible.
  • Associated With: Charles H. Bennett, History section, paragraph on Bennett's 1973 simulation result
    A landmark result by Charles H. Bennett in 1973 demonstrated that any standard Turing machine can be simulated by a reversible one.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.