Imagine a computer that thinks in a completely new way. It’s not just a faster version of the computers we have now. Instead, it’s something so advanced that it could solve problems that would take regular computers millions of years.
This amazing new kind of computer is called a quantum computer, and it might change the world once it becomes able to be utilised. To understand quantum computers, let’s first talk about the word quantum. Quantum is a term from science that deals with the tiniest things in the universe, like atoms and particles of light.
These tiny things behave in really strange ways, and scientists have been studying them for a long time. Quantum computers use these strange behaviors to do things regular computers can’t. They mimick how that science works.
Let’s start with how normal computers work. Inside every computer, there are tiny switches that can either be off or on. These switches are represented as zeroes (0) and ones(1), and they are called bits.
Everything your computer does playing a video, running a game, sending an email … is done using these turning on and off of these switches where switch on is represented as 1 and vice-versa. It’s like building things with blocks, one step at a time.
Quantum computers, however, use something called qubits (short for quantum bits). Qubits are special because they can be both 0 and 1 at the same time! How is that possible? This happens because of a strange quantum property called superposition. Imagine you’re spinning a coin in the air.
While it’s spinning, it’s not just heads or tails; it’s a kind of both-at-once. That’s what superposition allows qubits to do. This means quantum computers can look at many possibilities all at once instead of one at a time, making them super powerful.
Another cool thing about qubits is something called entanglement. When two qubits are entangled, they are linked together no matter how far apart they are. If you change one qubit, the other one changes instantly, even if it’s on the other side of the planet. This connection allows quantum computers to solve very complicated problems much faster than regular computers.
So, where did quantum computers come from? The idea started in the 1980s when a scientist named Richard Feynman thought about how regular computers couldn’t handle the most complicated problems, like simulating or presenting the behavior of atoms.
He suggested making computers that follow the strange rules of quantum physics. Over time, other scientists like David Deutsch and Peter Shor built on his ideas, showing that quantum computers could do things regular computers never could.
Today, companies like Google, IBM, and Microsoft are building real quantum computers. These computers aren’t perfect yet they are still very new and need a lot of work to fix problems like errors.
They are still on like 20% – 30% of progress. But in 2019, Google’s quantum computer solved a problem in just a few minutes that would take the world’s fastest regular computer thousands of years. This was a huge breakthrough and proved that quantum computers are real and incredibly powerful.
Why does this matter? Quantum computers could change the world in so many ways. For example, they could help scientists create new medicines by simulating how molecules work. That would be such a huge revolution!
They could help predict weather and understand climate change better than ever before. In cybersecurity, quantum computers could make stronger protections for our data; or being able to break today’s codes, which is why people are working hard to make them safe to use.
Quantum computers could also help in artificial intelligence, making machines smarter and better at solving big problems. Even exploring space could be easier because quantum computers can handle massive amounts of information faster than anything we’ve ever seen.
Right now, quantum computers are still like early cars, that is, they work, but they’re not ready for everyone to use yet. They can be used, but not for everyone. Scientists and engineers are working hard to make them more reliable and powerful. They believe that in the future, quantum computers could be as common as smartphones, and their impact could be extremely big.
Think about how the internet changed the way we live. Think about how artificial intelligence has made machines smarter. Quantum computing could be the next big jump, helping us solve problems we haven’t even thought of yet.
The quantum revolution has just begun, and the possibilities are endless. One day, we might look back and realize that quantum computers helped us unlock the secrets of the universe, cure diseases, and build a better world. It’s an exciting time, and the future is full of potential.
Article by Rwema Jules Roger
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