What is Quantum Computing? A Simple Guide For Beginners

As technology is evolving day by day we can see a variety of new gadgets in our everyday lives. We can see the latest version of everything. The same is the case for computers as well. Computers are also becoming advanced. The latest version of computers we can see today in the market are quantum computers. It is a world entirely different from the ordinary world where computers do not run on ordinary inputs but they work on specialized inputs called Quantum Bits.

Definition Of Quantum Computers

The computers that operate on the principles of quantum physics are called quantum computers. Unlike classical computers that work on bits like 0 and 1, they use specialized bits called quantum bits or qubits.

Invention Of Quantum Computers:

A physicist, Richard Feynman, and a computer scientist, David Deutsch independently introduced their ideas about quantum computing in the early 1980s. Feynman and Deutsch just contributed to theoretical ideas, the practical application of quantum computing was done by numerous scientists and examiners worldwide.

Quantum Bits:

Quantum bits also called qubits are the fundamental components of information in quantum mechanics. These are the bits on which quantum computers work. Classical computers work on bits like 0 and 1, but on the other hand, qubits can exist in several forms because of a phenomenon called Superposition. Because of this, quantum computers are able to analyze a large amount of information.

Why Do We Need Quantum Computers:

We use quantum computers as they offer a variety of benefits over classical computers:

1. These types of computers are used widely because of their speed. Unlike classical computers, these computers can solve problems much faster and easily.
2. They can solve complex and difficult problems such as cryptography and optimization.
3. The most important and primary reason for its use worldwide is that it can do parallel processing. The main distinguishing feature of quantum computers over others mainly depends on this reason. They can work on several problems simultaneously.
4. They play a huge and vital role in the discovery of drugs as they are more efficient than ordinary computers.

Where are quantum computers used?

Quantum Computers are used worldwide in quantum computing research labs such as IBM quantum labs and Google quantum AI labs. They have also been used in Microsoft quantum labs where the programming language is Q#. Sycamore, a quantum processor developed by Google Quantum AI lab is used to obtain quantum supremacy. IBM Quantum Lab is one of the most important quantum labs for doing quantum research.

Why are quantum computers faster than ordinary computers?

Quantum Computers are faster than ordinary computers due to three main reasons listed below:

1. Superposition
2. Entanglement
3. Interference

• Superposition

The property of quantum computers that allows the qubits to exist in several forms simultaneously is called superposition. This property is not present in ordinary computers. Due to this reason, quantum computers can process large amounts of information.

• Entanglement:

The bits present in ordinary computers are independent of each other. A situation where the state of one qubit is directly dependent on the other despite the distance is called Entanglement. This will lead to productive communication and cooperation among the qubits.

• Interference:

A phenomenon of quantum mechanics where the probable amplitudes combine in such a way that either they boost or terminate the effects of each other. This can help in error correction as well as inefficient algorithm execution.

Limitations Of Quantum Computers:

As there are several advantages of quantum computers, the limitations of these computers also exist as given below:

1. They make errors easily due to the distraction from an environment like noise.
2. They easily get distracted by their surroundings which limits their function.
3. The information they provide is not very accurate because precision should be high to get good results.
4. It is often very hard to connect the quantum bits over longer distances that are required for functioning.
5. It is very challenging to launch quantum computers as they require a lot of resources.
6. Unlike ordinary computers, quantum computers are very expensive to establish.

Applications Of Quantum Computing:

The applications of quantum computers are very vast. But I will discuss a few of them:

1. Quantum Computers can predict the weather forecast because of their greater accuracy.

2. These computers help in solving complex optimization problems like supply chain management and financial portfolio optimization.

3. These computers can enhance some artificial intelligence tasks such as they can speed up the abilities of machine learning algorithms.

To conclude, quantum computing is much more powerful than other ordinary computing systems as this is efficient and solves problems quickly and easily. They have qubits, unlike other computers which help in solving complex optimization problems as well as increase the security of data. But on the other hand, it is very expensive and hard to launch. But soon, it will become easy to launch such computers at a big level.