A Quantum Computer
Imagine a computer whose memory is exponentially larger than its apparent physical size; a computer that can manipulate an exponential set of inputs simultaneously; a computer that computes in the twilight zone of space. You would be thinking of . Relatively few and simple concepts from quantum mechanics are needed to make quantum computers a possibility. The subtlety has been in learning to manipulate these concepts. Is such a computer an inevitability or will it be too difficult to build?
By the strange laws of quantum mechanics, Folger, a senior editor at Discover, notes that; an electron, proton, or other subatomic particle is "in more than one place at a time," because individual ...
Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers
|
it arrives at the answer. But what if instead of having to search by yourself, you could instantly create as many copies of yourself as there were rooms in the building all the copies could simultaneously peek in all the offices, and the one that finds the briefcase becomes the real you, the rest just disappear. – (David Freeman, discover )
David Deutsch, a physicist at Oxford University, argued that it may be possible to build an extremely powerful computer based on this peculiar reality. In 1994, Peter Shor, a mathematician at AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, proved that, in theory at least, a full-blown quantum computer could factor even the largest numbers in seconds; an accomplishment impossible for even the fastest conventional computer. An outbreak of theories and discussions of the possibility of building now permeates itself though out the quantum fields of technology and research.
It's roots can be traced back to 1981, when Richard Feynman noted that physicists ...
Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.
Already a member? Login
|
it does certainly apply to every interaction of matter that we can see, the real benefits of this knowledge are just beginning to show themselves.
In our computers, circuit boards are designed so that a 1 or a 0 is represented by differing amounts of electricity, the outcome of one possibility has no effect on the other. However, a problem arises when quantum theories are introduced, the outcomes come from a single piece of hardware existing in two separate realities and these realties overlap one another affecting both outcomes at once. These problems can become one of the greatest strengths of the new computer however, if it is possible to program the outcomes in such a way so that ...
Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library.
Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports,
and research papers in 2 minutes or less.
|
CITE THIS PAGE:
A Quantum Computer. (2007, February 6). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/A-Quantum-Computer/59868
"A Quantum Computer." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 6 Feb. 2007. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/A-Quantum-Computer/59868>
"A Quantum Computer." Essayworld.com. February 6, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/A-Quantum-Computer/59868.
"A Quantum Computer." Essayworld.com. February 6, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/A-Quantum-Computer/59868.
|
Save
Report