Anyone understand this and able to explain it in small bites (not bytes) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinese-scientists-claim-breakthrough-quantum-030531080.html Chinese Scientists Claim Breakthrough in Quantum Computing Race Chinese scientists claim to have built a quantum computer that is able to perform certain computations nearly 100 trillion times faster than the world’s most advanced supercomputer, representing the first milestone in the country’s efforts to develop the technology. The researchers have built a quantum computer prototype that is able to detect up to 76 photons through Gaussian boson sampling, a standard simulation algorithm, the state-run Xinhua news agency said, citing research published in Science magazine. That’s exponentially faster than existing supercomputers. Doesn't that sound easy? Counting protons via a Gaussian boson sampling. How could fall behind in the quantum computer race? Oh, and would I want my PC to be with quantum computer technology? Why? Moi Across an immense, unguarded, ethereal border, Canadians, cool and unsympathetic, regard our America with envious eyes and slowly and surely draw their plans against us.
The US could fall behind in the race because its government spends all its revenue and then some on perpetual wars of choice. Likely you could not afford to buy a quantum computer.
The computer you are using to communicate with is just an elaborate calculator that can do a lot of simple tasks very quickly but it is limited to only dealing with either positive or negative, on or off, states of data. Your brain can accept concepts dealing with uncertainty such as Schroedinger's cat where the cat is in an "unknown" state without having the positive or negative data that indicates which state the cat is actually in. Quantum computers have the ability to deal with this "unknown" third state of data. As a simple explanation your current computer is little more than a collection of light switches that are either on or off whereas your brain can deal with concepts like low light conditions and widen your irises to compensate or use your hearing or sense of touch to determine if a room is occupied even if the lights are off. Quantum computers can handle those alternatives which is why it is able detect those photons, The answer to your question is that you already own the equivalent of a quantum computer between your ears so it is unlikely that you are going to need another one in the immediate future, As far as when they will be reliable and affordable having almost fifty years of IT experience I can attest to the fact that the original computers were neither reliable nor affordable to the average person but I could foresee when they could become commonplace. It took a couple of decades and now you have more of them than you even realize, Quantum computers are following a similar path and will probably benefit from the lessons we have learned so the timeline could be shorter.
Quantum computers will enable us to make nanite "everything machines" which will build whatever we specify from ambient materials in real-time. This will include a fully functioning duplicate of any human being we name. I want two of Kirsten Dunst and one of Cameron Diaz and please don't make them bitchy, thanks loads.
Thank you. Truly. But, I really do need an explanation in smaller bites, is not pablumized. Thanks again for trying to explain it to me. Moi
Here's the most concise explanation I've found: Instead of bits, which conventional computers use, a quantum computer uses quantum bits—known as qubits. To illustrate the difference, imagine a sphere. A bit can be at either of the two poles of the sphere, but a qubit can exist at any point on the sphere. So, this means that a computer using qubits can store an enormous amount of information and uses less energy doing so than a classical computer. By entering into this quantum area of computing where the traditional laws of physics no longer apply, we will be able to create processors that are significantly faster (a million or more times) than the ones we use today. As I understand it, instead of each data unit being a 1 or a 0, it can be of an (infinite?) range between 1 and 0, meaning a lot more data can be processed and transferred with a lot less time and energy.
Or here's another way. This isn't how it works, but more like a representation of how it works. Imagine you're using blinks of light to transmit a message. Each letter of the alphabet is assigned between 1 and 26 blinks of light. So to transmit the letter 'Z', you have to send 26 blinks of light. But if you can send different colors, you could assign 'Z' to be a blue/green light, other letters are assigned other spectrums of light. Now you can send each letter in one blink, drastically reducing the time and energy required to send the entire message. The only limit to how much of the message can be sent in one blink is how precise the light detector is. If the detector can differentiate between 1 million different hues of light, then you can send 1 million times more data per blink than you could when you were limited to one color.
@modernpaladin Thank you. Color lights work better for me. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Would I want a quantum computer PC ? Yes / No and Why. Moi
Probably not (yet). While the computing itself is a lot more efficient, it is also a lot more susceptible to environmental conditions. In order to tell the slight difference in the behavior of one subatomic particle vs another and thus determine what data unit it represents, the detection equipment has to be sheilded from outside energy that might contaminate the reading and/or change the behavior of the particle. I imagine this is where quantum entanglement comes in to play. But suffice to say, you're quantum computer would probably need to be completely encased in a giant lead bunker or something to be of any use. Or to use my previous light example- if your detection equipment is so precise that you can differentiate between a million different hues of light, then someone shines a flashlight onto your detector, or you try and send the light through a mist, its going to screw up the message.
Yes. But technical problems solved, would I want one? Would Lisbeth Salander want one? If I remember the movie correctly AT&T or IBM or some such passed on their patent or contract rights to the PC. Who would want a computer in their home? Moi
I would imagine that at some point you'll need one if you want your system to be compatable (able to interface) with eveyone else's systems. That's likely decades from now at least. I would imagine it'd be like trying to interface an iPhone with a calculator.
You are on a diet and having lunch while out Xmas shopping. You order a burger and the waiter asks if you want fries with your burger and you hesitate. The waiter detects your hesitation and offers you onion rings instead of fries. If the waiter was an binary computer the binary option would be yes/no as far as fries are concerned. If the waiter was a quantum computer your hesitation is the third state that triggers the option for onion rings. Binary computer fries question = yes/no. Quantum computer fries question = yes/no/onion rings. Are those bites small enough?
You should not expect to see anything like this make its way to your pc, anytime soon. As the article said, this is about supercomputers, used to model complex things, like weather patterns, over time, not only because they need to factor in many influences, but because of all the potential variations in all those factors. Quantum computing, I assume (since I'm no expert), refers to the quantum theory that a particle can have many potential locations at any given time (which some have tried to extend to mean that it, in fact, occupies all those positions, simultaneously). All that's relevant for you to grasp is that a supercomputer can play out multiple scenarios at the same time, with variations in each for different possibilities. Again, it's not something that you would typically expect to need your computer to do. But it's very helpful to a search engine, like google, trying to predict your preferences, actions, needs/desires, & thoughts. Or to help scientists model the interacting physical processes during the Big Bang; or, to gauge the potential effects of particular chemical combinations on some bodily affliction. A key word here is predictive. This technology, however, is not artificial intelligence, though it blurs the line, simply by considering so many more possibilities, in such a brief moment, than the human mind can. And it certainly would be a powerful part of any A.I. project. (Here's more of the article, if it is clearer for some than my explanation: While still in its infancy, quantum computing is seen as the key to radically improving the processing speed and power of computers, enabling them to simulate large systems and drive advances in physics, chemistry and other fields. Chinese researchers are competing against major U.S. corporations from Alphabet Inc.’s GOOGLE to AMAZON.com Inc. and MICROSOFT Corp. for a lead in the technology, which has become yet another front in the U.S.-China tech race.)
All that I can think of quickly is that there must be some connection with String Theory as it was explained back during the 1990's. Computer technology is getting closer and closer to "Energy from Quantum Vacuum" which is exponentially greater than what we would tend to expect it to be.
