Hello fellow students! To start out, I would recommend watching the video below where Quantum computer is introduced and explained.
Quantum computing harnesses the phenomena of quantum mechanics to deliver a huge leap forward in computation to solve certain problems (IBM). Up until now, organizations have relied on supercomputers to solve complex problems, however, some problems are so complex that even supercomputers cannot solve them. This is where Quantum computers come in.
Regular computers use bits and bits can be in one of two states – 0 or 1. Quantum computers have qubits or quantum bits. These bits are in a so-called superposition, which means that they can be both 0 and 1 at the same time.
So what is so special about Quantum computers? Quantum computers can create vast multidimensional spaces in which to represent these very large problems (IBM). Algorithms that employ quantum wave interference are then used to find solutions in this space and translate them back into forms we can use and understand (IBM). This is especially beneficial for combinatorial optimization problems such as calculating the most cost-effective routes for a logistics company or the risk an investment companies portfolio is facing. These are problems where the calculations are complex, however, quantum computers can also deal with other problems. For example, pharmaceutical companies can simulate molecules to understand drug interactions, hackers can break the most complex encryption methods to access vulnerable data. In a nutshell, quantum computers can solve problems, we never thought could be possible to solve.
And talking about impossible problems, the one problem I am personally looking forward to being solved is weather forecasting. Simulating nature is one of the hardest problems for humanity and quantum computers can potentially solve the problem and simulate nature. Imagine checking the weather app and being sure that the weather forecast is 100% accurate for the next week or even month.
Have you heard about Quantum computing? Are there any problems you are excited to be solved?
References
https://www.ibm.com/quantum-computing/what-is-quantum-computing/
