When you hear the term quantum computing, it might sound exotic, but what does it actually mean for a computer to be ‘quantum’? Imagine a completely new way to think about and execute algorithms. This isn’t about making your current computer faster; it’s about using a new type of hardware designed to manipulate objects at the incredibly tiny quantum scale.
At this scale, objects behave in ways that are nothing like what we’re used to, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for programming.
These new types of computers don’t run the programs we’re used to seeing. Forget about traditional loops, functions, and data structures. Almost everything that makes up classical programming gets thrown out the window.
We need to start over with entirely new concepts organized in entirely new ways. This new hardware allows us to perform tasks wildly beyond the range of what we can do on conventional computers. For example, we can evaluate a program using billions, or even trillions, of different inputs simultaneously. The catch is that only a single one of these results is available as an output each time we run the program. But if we’re clever, we can increase the likelihood of getting the output we want.
⚙️ Why Get Into Quantum Computing Now?
Today, there are only a few functional quantum computers in the world, and many of them don’t have massive computational power. But these machines are real, and some are even available for use online for free. Experts believe that the field of quantum computing is on a trajectory similar to that of classical computers, which started out as massive, expensive, and finicky devices.
Eventually, they became the affordable, powerful microchips found in everything from your smartphone to your toaster. Similarly, we can expect that a future with powerful, reliable, and affordable quantum computers is inevitable.
By getting familiar with the subject now, you’ll be ahead of the curve and ready to lead the way when this new technology becomes widespread. This field is wonderfully challenging, engaging both your intellect and imagination. If you love new ideas and seeing the world in new ways, you’re going to love learning this stuff. It’s not just a forward-looking technology—it’s fun.
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Glassner, Andrew. Quantum Computing: From Concepts to Code. No Starch Press, 2025.
More Topics
- The Quantum Threat: How Shor’s Algorithm Puts Modern Encryption at Risk
- The Bernstein-Vazirani Algorithm: Unmasking a Secret With a Single Query
- Simon’s Algorithm: The First Quantum Speedup That Left Classical Computers in the Dust
- Cracking the Code: How Quantum Parallelism Solves Deutsch’s Problem in One Step
- The Deutsch-Jozsa Algorithm: An Exponential Leap in Quantum Problem Solving
- Your First Quantum Program: The ‘Hello, World!’ of a Qubit
- Scaling Up: How Quantum Computers Handle Multiple Qubits
