This is the second post of Quantum Computers Series, if you haven't already, please check out my first post on computers. Let's get started!
Enter the Quantum Computer! ✨
Quantum computers don't use bits - they use something way cooler: qubits Think of qubits as bits' wild cousins who play by different rules The big difference? While a bit is stuck being 0 OR 1, a qubit can be 0, 1, or BOTH at the same time! This mind-bending property is called superposition
Superposition: Being Two Things at Once
Picture a spinning coin - is it heads or tails while spinning? Kind of both! That's like a qubit - it can exist in multiple states until we measure it Example: With 2 regular bits, we can represent one of 4 possible values at a time (00, 01, 10, or 11) But with 2 qubits in superposition, we can represent all 4 values simultaneously! It's like having multiple guesses at once instead of one at a time
A spinning coin represents a qubit in superposition—it's like being both 0 and 1 at the same time!
Entanglement: Spooky Teamwork
Quantum computers have another superpower: entanglement Imagine two magic marbles - when one turns blue, the other instantly turns blue too, no matter the distance That's entanglement: when qubits get linked so what happens to one instantly affects the other Einstein called this "spooky action at a distance" because it seems so magical This teamwork helps quantum computers solve certain puzzles much more efficiently
These two qubits are entangled—when one changes, the other instantly changes too, no matter the distance!