Quantum Economics and Finance

The word "quantum" is from the Latin for "how much" and in this book mathematician David Orrell shows how it applies to the world of economic transactions. Written in clear and accessible language, the book covers the essential mathematics behind topics such as quantum cognition, option pricing, and quantum game theory, and delves into the nuts and bolts of quantum mechanics, the principles of quantum economic modelling, and the basics of quantum computation. On the way the reader will learn how quantum interference can be used to model cognitive dissonance, how a quantum walk goes further than a random walk, and how financial entanglement explains the rate of mortgage default. It is aimed at anyone who wants to understand the quantum ideas working their way into economics and finance, without getting drowned in wave equations.

As interest in quantum computing grows, many companies from established banks to startups are looking at ways to perform financial simulations using quantum algorithms. But what if we should be using quantum models anyway - because the monetary system has quantum properties of its own, and because they work?

The field is developing rapidly, and this third edition contains many updates including new material on quantum logic and quantum agent-based models.

David Orrell is an applied mathematician with extensive experience in mathematical modelling, and the author of a dozen books on science and economics.