Introducing categories to the practicing physicist
Quantum Physics
2008-11-14 v1 Mathematical Physics
Category Theory
Logic
math.MP
Abstract
We argue that category theory should become a part of the daily practice of the physicist, and more specific, the quantum physicist and/or informatician. The reason for this is not that category theory is a better way of doing mathematics, but that monoidal categories constitute the actual algebra of practicing physics. We will not provide rigorous definitions or anything resembling a coherent mathematical theory, but we will take the reader for a journey introducing concepts which are part of category theory in a manner that the physicist will recognize them.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0808.1032,
title = {Introducing categories to the practicing physicist},
author = {Bob Coecke},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0808.1032},
year = {2008}
}
Comments
30 pages and 19 pictures