IBM Takes a Step Toward Commercial Quantum Computing

IBM Takes a Step Toward Commercial Quantum Computing

In a traditional computer, like the one you're using to read this article, data is stored in the form of bits. A bit has two states, 0 and 1, and it can be in one and only one of these states at any given time.

A quantum computer is very different. A qubit, the quantum equivalent of a bit, also has two states, but it can be in a combination of those two states. This property enables certain computational problems to potentially be solved exponentially faster on a quantum computer than on a traditional computer.

Don't worry if this doesn't make sense to you. "If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics," reads a quote widely attributed to physicist Richard Feynman.

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Source: Fool.com