Vocabulary:
- Quantum Mechanics: A theory of the mechanics of atoms, molecules, or other physical systems that are subject to the uncertainty principle
- Quantum: The smallest quantity of radiant light, equal to Planck’s constant times the frequency of the associated radiation
- Quantum Bits (Qubits): The fundamental units of information in a quantum computer, capable of existing in two states, 0 or 1, simultaneously or at a different time
For More Vocabulary, Visit: http://www.dictionary.com/
As technology advances, we are constantly looking for new ways to revolutionize different industries - especially the computer industry. Scientists have been using the principles of quantum mechanics to invent a new kind of high tech computer: The Quantum Computer.
Information is stored as bits in a normal computer. In a quantum computer, the information is stored as quantum bits. Quantum bits are sometimes also referred to as qubit.
But, keep in mind that a quantum bit is very different from a physical particle. It can be made of any fundamental particle, such as a photon, electron, of nucleus, and has two different properties at the same time (like existing in two places at the same time)!!!!
You might be wondering why this even helps with computers. Well, a normal computer must go through many different possibilities of 0 and 1 for a single calculation. A quantum computer, because it can exist in all the states simultaneously, only has to do one calculation to calculate a large number of possibilities. This ultimately makes it much faster.
The biggest challenge is developing a way to harness and control these particles. To control them, you have to trap and direct them. When the particles interact, though, they lose their information. Scientists and engineers are still in the process of finding effective ways to trap and guide the particles.
A quantum computer’s most important application is the ability to factorize very large numbers into two prime numbers relatively quickly. Actually, almost all encryption for internet computing for any computer is based off of this. But, it also has other scientific uses, like calculating positions of individual atoms in larges molecules like viruses and polymers. Because of the way the atoms interact with eachother, they claim that you cannot accurately calculate anything when more than 10 atoms are present.
In terms of buying commercial quantum computers, you can if you have about $10 million USD. And, because of how new this technology is, these computers have limited computer power and it is not exactly clear what the computer is doing.
It will also probably take a while before we can downsize quantum computers to desktop and laptop sizes. The first ones will most likely fill up an entire room! While there is much, much more research to be done, progress is slowly beginning to be made.
For More Information, visit: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/mar/06/quantum-computing-explained-particle-mechanics
No comments:
Post a Comment