Aside from the hype of a new generation of supercomputers, below are the reasons why one should learn Quantum computing:
Weirdness #
It is weird and sometimes feels like magic, which excites the curious minds and leads them to a different world.
Superposition #
You may already know that in a classical computer, a bit (the smallest information unit) has two states: 0 or 1. But in a quantum computer, a qubit's value can be both 0 and 1 at the same time!! This property is weird, counterintuitive, but is super useful in speeding up the computer exponentially.
Engtanglement #
Another weird (but important) feature of the qubit is quantum entanglement: two (or more) qubits' states depend on each other. Putting it in simple words: when you perform some actions on one qubit, its entangled qubits would be affected, even if they are separated in space. Einstein called this attribute "spooky action at a distance".
Its application? the quantum internet.
Fun #
The first quantum thing I got to know is the Schrodinger's cat thought experiment: a cat is put into a box, and you cannot know if it's dead or alive until observing inside the box, which in turn, might break a poison flask and kill the cat. Thus the cat is in a "superposition" of both alive and dead.
Not sure why the author could think of a cat-experiment like this, maybe he's one of the dog-people ... Anyways, the internet now is full of cats.
Schrodinger's Plates
Impact #
By applying the quantum (weird) properties, we will have new approaches to problems in many fields. For example:
- Cryptography: factoring large numbers into primes faster.
- Quantum search: database searching.
- Quantum simulation: chemistry and nanotechnology.
- Quantum machine learning: supercharge your AI system!
- Quantum internet: using quantum teleportation to transfer information between places.
Challenges #
Of course, higher reward usually comes with higher risk, there are many obstacles on the way to realizing a truly useful quantum computer, and also doubts about whether a quantum computer would be really faster in solving problems.
But this also means that there's a lot of space for discovery in both academic and industrial applications.
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All the information on this blog are my own opinions and do NOT represent the views or opinions of any of my past or current employers.
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