The incredible physics behind quantum computing

Can computers do calculations in multiple universes? Scientists are working on it. Step into the world of quantum computing.

  • While today's computers—referred to as classical computers—continue to become more and more powerful, there is a ceiling to their advancement due to the physical limits of the materials used to make them. Quantum computing allows physicists and researchers to exponentially increase computation power, harnessing potential parallel realities to do so.
  • Quantum computer chips are astoundingly small, about the size of a fingernail. Scientists have to not only build the computer itself but also the ultra-protected environment in which they operate. Total isolation is required to eliminate vibrations and other external influences on synchronized atoms; if the atoms become 'decoherent' the quantum computer cannot function.
  • "You need to create a very quiet, clean, cold environment for these chips to work in," says quantum computing expert Vern Brownell. The coldest temperature possible in physics is -273.15 degrees C. The rooms required for quantum computing are -273.14 degrees C, which is 150 times colder than outer space. It is complex and mind-boggling work, but the potential for computation that harnesses the power of parallel universes is worth the chase.
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This $50 crash course can boost your skills in electronics, programming, and robotics

Learn the ins and outs of Raspberry Pi, Python, and ROS2 from talented engineers.

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Learn AI and data science with Python for less than $40

These nine courses introduce you to the future of programming.

  • Python is one of the world's most popular general-purpose programming languages.
  • Programmers love Python's features, including clear code with significant use of whitespace.
  • Python is often used in fields like AI, artificial neural networks, and data science.
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Can your smartphone detect how drunk you are?

A small proof-of-concept study shows smartphones could help detect drunkenness based on the way you walk.

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  • The legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving in the U.S is 0.08 percent. You can measure your BAC 15 minutes after your first drink and your levels will remain safe if you consume no more than one standard drink per hour.
  • Portable breathalyzers can be used to measure BAC, but not many people own these devices.
  • A small proof-of-concept study suggests that your smartphone could detect your drunkenness based on the way you walk.
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Coding is not ‘fun’, it’s technically and ethically complex

It doesn't help that Hollywood has cast the 'coder' as a socially challenged, type-first-think-later hacker, inevitably white and male.

Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash
Programming computers is a piece of cake. Or so the world's digital-skills gurus would have us believe.
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