BRAINDUMP
Is there a limit to quantum computing?
Amazing answers to your curious questions
Today’s computers process data as bits, which can exist either as a zero or a one. Hard drives store these bits as microscopic patches of magnetism on magnetic plates, where the information can then be converted to electrical signals.
Quantum computing, meanwhile, manipulates data at an atomic level, allowing for a whole host of interesting quantum mechanical effects. Bits in quantum computing are known as qubits and are particles such as electrons or protons. The advantages of qubits are that they are very small and can exist in more states than just two. These states could take the form of the spin of an electron or the configuration of an atom, and because there is a higher number of states per qubit than an ordinary bit, the number of possible combinations of states between different qubits increases massively. This essentially means that quantum computers would be able to solve immense calculations at unfathomable speeds compared with traditional machines. However, these particles are very difficult to manipulate, so quantum computing is currently limited in what it can do. But as for the future, it’s impossible to predict how far this technology could go.
CAN GOLD BECOME AGAS?