Quantum computing is a major step forward in computer processing, over a standard classical computer. Because they harness the power of quantum mechanics quantum computers can solve problems that classical computers cannot solve in any practical way because it would take way too long to solve. Still, in its infancy, quantum computing has shown incredible processing power.
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Algorithms.
An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure for performing a calculation. While they are commonly used on computers, they can be used for manual calculations as well. Algorithms can be as simple as repeating a calculation until you get the results that you are looking for. They can also be as complicated as having multiple levels of different computations and other procedures. The basic concept starts with an initial value upon which the first calculation is performed, the resulting value is then passed on to another calculation or used as an initial value for repeating the same set of calculations. It then provides the results when finished.
Quantum Mechanics.
Quantum mechanics is the physics of the exceedingly small. It has many features that seem strange from the perspective of our everyday lives. The two main aspects of quantum mechanics associated with quantum computing are superposition and entanglement. Superposition is the tendency of quantum systems to occupy multiple states at the same time. Entanglement is the ability of two or more quantum particles to have properties that are related to each other, such that knowing the entangled properties of one particle determines the properties of the others. This may seem strange, but it is at the heart of quantum computing.
Quantum Computing.
Quantum computing is the process by which the quantum states of qubits are controlled to perform calculations. Qubits are the standard unit of information in quantum computing just as bits are in classical computing. Qubit stands for a quantum bit, and they differ from classical bits by their ability to hold different values at the same time. Whereas a classical bit can only have a value of either one or zero at any given time, a qubit can have a value of one, zero, or both in superposition.
Quantum Algorithms.
A quantum algorithm is an algorithm where at least one step is quantum in nature. That means that the calculations make use of either superposition or entanglement to carry out their task. You can carry out any classical algorithm on a quantum computer, but a quantum algorithm requires a quantum computer to produce results. The ability of cubits to hold values in superposition provides these algorithms with exceptional power over that of a purely classical algorithm. The advantage of quantum computing is the fact that superposition and entanglement greatly increase the speed of computation.
The Power of Quantum Algorithms.
The power of a quantum algorithm is not an ability to solve problems that are fundamentally unsolvable by classical algorithms. No problem can be solved by a quantum algorithm that cannot be solved by a classical algorithm given enough complexity and time. However, because of quantum superposition, quantum algorithms can solve problems much faster than a classical algorithm can. The real power of quantum computing is not in some magical ability to solve undecidable problems, but in being able to solve complex problems much faster than an equivalent classical algorithm.
Quantum Computing Software.
Before you can do anything on your computer, you need the proper computer program to do the required tasks. If you are going to use a quantum algorithm on a quantum computer, you are going to need the right quantum computing software. This is a computer program very specifically designed for handling calculations on a quantum computer. They need to be written specifically to handle qubits rather than classical bits. While they still require using a logical process, the power of quantum computing provides methods of parallel processing that are not classically possible.
Quantum algorithms have a tremendous speed advantage over their classical counterparts because of the power of quantum mechanics. While they cannot solve fundamentally unsolvable problems, they do have a huge speed advantage. This is what makes quantum computing worth the effort to perfect.
