Explain how quantum computers compute like I am 10

jpod

jpod

jpod

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50154993

If you understand something you can explain it easy....so how come they are so powerful?

I understand quantum can be both 0 and 1, two states at the same time. So how does that work?

And will Ctrl Alt Del still work?

And another thing - what amazing things will they enable us to do?

And when will OC be selling them? When will they be personal PCs?

pod
 
For one thing you get from copper/electrons where the friction builds up heat and slows the electrons down I think, however that's a minor thing in the whole physics side.

They will allow us/NSA to crack encryption very fast also analyze the weather and other phenomena.
 
They work like normal computers but more quantumy.

Now, it's past 9 o'clock and you have school tommorrow.
 
The short answer is speed; specific tasks / simulations can be done orders of magnitude faster on a quantum computer.

Imagine you want to examine the best possible combination of ingredients to make the most epic roast dinner (or vaccine) ever.

A regular computer will test each combination one at a time, breaking that one task down into bite size pieces. One at a time it will recreate and test each ingredient set, before compiling the results and comparing them.

A quantum computer will do 10s, 100s or 1000s+ combinations, testing every possible combination at the same time.

What a regular 0s and 1s computer can do in one thousand years, a quantum computer can do in theoretically minutes. Like pouring peas into an enormous mouth vs sucking them up individually with a straw.
 
WantoN said:
The short answer is parallel computing and simulation.

Imagine you want to examine the best possible combination of ingredients to make the most epic roast dinner (or vaccine) possible.

A regular computer will test each combination one at a time, breaking the task down into bite size pieces.

A quantum computer will do 10s, 100s or 1000s+ combination, testing each combinationat the same time.

What a regular 0s and 1s computer can do in one thousand years, a quantum computer can do in theoretically minutes.
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So what is holding them back, why does it take so long, are the still learning about the physics or are they just working off trial and error, how to they progress?
 
jsmoke said:
So what is holding them back, why does it take so long, are the still learning about the physics or are they just working off trial and error, how to they progress?
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The more complex the task, the more Qbits required. We want a great big super computer with loads of Qbits, because they're what do the actually work.

We're building chips with more and more Qbits, improving the design and density in an iterative process. Then we test it all to see if it still works, and if it doesn't, why not. Getting these little things to actually do what we want can be very difficult.

The other thing is, those little Qbits need immense amounts of cooling, immense amounts of power, and incredibly precise and complex structures to support them. The tiniest of errors means a failed design. A new chip may need a partially or entirely new support structure, just to run it.

It takes an awful lot of time to theorise, design, build and rigorously test each incrementally improved iteration. And we need to improve in a slow process, monitoring each iterative improvement we make.
 
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Think of it like actually being able to predict the weather vs using the absolutely ***** BBC weather app.
 
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jsmoke said:
I thought quantum used less power than traditional, but you say huge amounts are needed?
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They're cooling these things to about -273C, that takes a lot of power.

The idea is scalibility, and that adding more and more Qbits shouldn't really effect the cooling requirement too much.

The chips themselves require something like a microwatt, and generate almost no heat iirc.
 
Mr Badger said:
"Explain how quantum computers compute like I am 10"

Thread title promised a binary bit/qubit joke. I am disappoint.
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How about the thing about binary is there are two types of people; those that understand it and those who don't. But with quantum they both understand it and don't at the same time?

Great answers fellas so far - very interesting - thank you.

Instead of switching it off and then on again - it will be have you warmed it up and then cooled it to 0 degrees kelvin!
 
WantoN said:
They're cooling these things to about -273C, that takes a lot of power.

The idea is scalibility, and that adding more and more Qbits shouldn't really effect the cooling requirement too much.

The chips themselves require something like a microwatt, and generate almost no heat iirc.
Click to expand...

So how will they commercialise the cooling mechanism, will we need a bucket of liquid nitrogen next to our quantum PCs?
 
jsmoke said:
So how will they commercialise the cooling mechanism, will we need a bucket of liquid nitrogen next to our quantum PCs?
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Your average desktop users would not need or indeed want a quantum computer. They will never run things like windows, CAD, or games better than a traditional computer. The types of things you might use a quantum super computer for are real time optimisation of a city's driverless car network to optimise travel times.
 
Apparently the ultimate goal of physicists working in quantum computing research is to do away with electronics altogether. An ambitious goal that might take a decade I suspect.

e: one future personal workplace application may be near real time personal cognitive flow security and encryption in HNNN (human neural network networks) for AHI (augmented human intelligence) using brain-computer interfaces. Also, near real-time (less than p200 / 200msec) superintelligence support at the node.

I did some experimental work on ordinary (brain based) neural network encryption using a rapid cognitive flow scrambling technique that at first appeared useful for critical security roles. However, it was near irreversible (loss of sanity risks) and had to be abandoned. However, the use case still exists, thus my view that personal quantum computing based encryption might hold more promise.
 
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jsmoke said:
So how will they commercialise the cooling mechanism, will we need a bucket of liquid nitrogen next to our quantum PCs?
Click to expand...

I don't think we'll ever see quantum computing in residential homes. It's not what it's it's designed for, nor is it practical. Maybe in the future the technology will evolve into something more appropriate, but I personally don't think so.

My opinion is that we'll see graphene or a similar semi-conductor as the new breakthrough tech for traditional computing.

For quantum think research, medical, design, simulation. Anything that needs to compare, simulate or test huge amounts of data as quickly as possible, or find complex solutions to complex problems. Though as the technology expands I don't doubt we'll find huge potential in unexpected business sectors.
 
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