Quantum computers!

[Blue Phoenix]

"A quantum computer is any device for computation that makes direct use of distinctively quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. In a classical (or conventional) computer data are measured by bits; in a quantum computer the data are measured by qubits. The basic principle of quantum computation is that the quantum properties of particles can be used to represent and structure data, and that devised quantum mechanisms can be used to perform operations with these data."

"A classical computer has a memory made up of bits, where each bit holds either a one or a zero. A quantum computer maintains a set of qubits. A qubit can hold a one, or a zero, or a superposition of these."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computers

Did you ever heard of them? Is´s a crazy stuff.

 

[Bonhomme]

This will undoubtedly bring a quantum leap in the speed and power of the machines.

 

[check_mate_kid_uk]

super position? i recognise that term from my phyiscs lessons, about electromagnetic waves, i might need to know it for tomorows exam but do not know what it means, but it does ring a bell! so like, what does is it mean!?

 

[Bonhomme]

Wave properties

I think the gist of it is that those computers will essentially use wave properties, rather than particle properties to do the operations.

The potential boggles the mind... waves can propagate fater than particles, and have certain properties that lend themselves very well to certain operations. This could improve processing by leaps and bounds, but storage media may pose a problem. There may still be a bits and bytes "bottleneck" there.

If a storage medium that can hang with quantum processing is developed, one result could be audio that exceeds digital audio specs and analog audio "feel," to which 44.1 kHz digital audio doesn't compare. Color me intrigued... no pun on "color" intended, but I'll run with it. That, and many other operations, such as "artificial thought," speech recognition, atmospheric modeling, etc...

 

[check_mate_kid_uk]

why would any one bother developing this when even if it does get used it will never make any money because it will not be to long before we see biological computers in use. There have been huge advances with them recently, and they have the capacity to learn rather then just do what they are told to. They are made from brain neurons from small animals eg rats or leeches, and are grown in petri dishes like a bacteria. They have manged to do simple maths and control a flight simulator with out programing to, they just learn to do it.

 

[CableLight]

I smell a robot coup...Soon.

Then the Terminator will no longer be "just a movie."

 

[undesputable]

I hate machines that have artificial intelligence

 

[Blue Phoenix]

Originally posted by undesputable
I hate machines that have artificial intelligence

Are you afraid they´re gonna surpass your inteligence??

 

[Vincent]

I think the next computer is gonna either be dna run or electron.

Quantum is like last on the list.

 

[Panda 2000]

Quantum is the next thing, biological computers are way too unpredictable and you have to grow them in a goddamn petri dish, whilst quantum computers will come to a phase when they can be assembled as quick as today's chips, that means in a second. And quantum would surpass them in speed and power anyway.

It's amazing when you think about it, that in 20 years computer intelligence will equal that of man and then in a few years from then surpass it by double, triple, and even more.

 

[check_mate_kid_uk]

Originally posted by Panda 2000
Quantum is the next thing, biological computers are way too unpredictable and you have to grow them in a goddamn petri dish, whilst quantum computers will come to a phase when they can be assembled as quick as today's chips, that means in a second. And quantum would surpass them in speed and power anyway.

quantum computers may actuly be around at the same time as biological computers because come to think about it they have diffrent uses. Quantum computers may be used in banks where huge processing power is needed, but in other tasks biological computers are better, did you know 1 has bene made that is smaller then a human cell (1 trillion of them could fit in a drop of water) and has detected and destroyed cancer cells in a testtube! They wnat to eventualy put it in to people to diagnose and treat diseases!

 

[CableLight]

Originally posted by Panda 2000


It's amazing when you think about it, that in 20 years computer intelligence will equal that of man and then in a few years from then surpass it by double, triple, and even more.

I hope you aren't excited by that.

The only thing I'm excited about with technology increases is that, in about five years, we'll probably be able to buy a really hardcore computer for fairly cheap. I mean, hell, the first comp my family got (I was in 6th grade) was like $2000 and it sucked balls. The comp I'm typing on now is like 100x better at 1/4 the cost.

 

[check_mate_kid_uk]

computers are an example of achiving the imposible, know one thought it was possible, their where quotes by top experts such as "64k of memory ought to be enough for any one" and "theres a world market for maybe 5 computers" and a sc-fi magazine said "in the future computers may weigh as little as half a ton" The first computers has the processing power of a digital watch, the processing power of super computers is many trillions of times powerfuller then the first ones.

 

[belividere]

I'm actually somehow in this field. I gotta say that right now it is primarily just an exercise in mental mastrubation. An production scale methods to make these devices is still pretty far off. Problems with interfacing, reproducibility, detection, control and decoherence will take along time before they are properly addressed let alone figured out. It is really cool though.