What is quantum computing and what’s the big deal?
First, you need to understand the potential of what quantum computing could do before we delve into what quantum computing actually is. If you understand the potential, you will definitely understand why it’s so important, and what the big deal is all about. What if I told you that if quantum computing becomes a reality, it may be possible to compute algorithms in a finite amount of time that currently would take the time of the age of the universe to compute?
That type of computing power not only blows people’s minds, but it would be one of the most life altering developments of science. It would allow computers to do things so amazing that we haven’t even scratched the surface of what the true potential could be. Now do you see what the big deal is all about? Dr. Lawrence Krauss, theoretical physicist and cosmologist who is Foundation Professor of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University explains quantum computing in the video below.
Dr. Lawrence Krauss Explains Quantum Computing:
Okay, so what is quantum computing?
In the video above, Dr. Kauss explained at a very basic level what quantum computing is. However, a more detailed description of quantum computing involves the studies of theoretical computation systems (quantum computers) that make direct use of quantum-mechanical phenomena such as superposition and entanglement to perform operations on data.
Quantum computers are different from digital computers based on transistors. Whereas digital computers require data to be encoded into binary digits (bits), each of which is always in one of two definite states (0 or 1), quantum computation uses quantum bits (qubits), which can be in superpositions of states. A quantum Turing machine (named after the famous Alan Turing, who is the father of computers and the code breaker of the Nazi Enigma machine) is a theoretical model of such a computer, and is also known as the universal quantum computer. Quantum computers share theoretical similarities with non-deterministic and probabilistic computers.
What Quantum Computers Can Do:
What are the latest developments in quantum computing?
Researchers at The University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia have just had a major breakthrough in their research of quantum computing. For the first time, 2 quantum bits (or qubits) have been made in silicone and are able to interact via a quantum logic gate. This is a major breakthrough, and takes us 1 step closer to realizing a true quantum computer that will be practical to produce.
Crucial Hurdle Overcome For Quantum Computing: