Online article and 19.3, due on November 23

• Okay, so if I'm understanding this right, Shor's Algorithm is another way to factor a number n, which has two large prime factors, p and q. So, this is basically a quantum way to solve an RSA system? It was great to read the article online, and very nice of Scott Aaronson to explain it in a way that was understandable. Reading through section 19.3, I felt that I already understood what it was saying, because I had had an introduction to it already. Although Aaronson did bring the discussion full-circle, to come back and relate how this "parallel universe" thing works in Shor's Algorithm, he didn't give any examples or anything. I imagine this would be hard to do, but it was a little bit hard for me to understand the full circle without seeing an example.
  
• I completely understood the thumbtack analogy. It was an interesting way to find a period. I had to read that section about 3 times before it started to make any sense. And then I wondered: "If I didn't have school or church or meetings at all, what would be my typical day? How long would my period be?" It got me thinking that my typical would probably be shorter than 24 hours. If I were locked in room without a clock and without a window, it might be different, but when I'm bored I try to sleep. But, that could also have something to do with being pregnant. :)