I don’t get the two states at once shit, doesn’t that just mean there’s a third state? So really every bit is in one of three states instead of two, which should make it all faster for sure, but that’s about it. The mumbo jumbo thrown around about quantum computing seems to suggest they might be more different from 2-state bit computing. (If it’s just having to work with 9/27/81 rather than the 8s we’re used to, leading to refiguring some shit out, I get that, just want to demistify any possible arcane stuff)
Shor’s algorithm supposedly needs quantum computers, to which I’m wondering why – can someone explain without the stupid double state Schrodingers cat bits spiel?
I searched, but all I found was just a bunch of the frequently repeated phrases that (as should be evident from the phrasing above) I’m growing increasingly frustrated with and can’t find a decent breakdown/dumbdown of. If someone has posted a decent answer to anything I’m asking, it has eluded me but not for lack of effort on my part. At this point I want to know mostly because I’m sick of unsatisfactory answers.
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Quantum computers are a completely different sort of thing. They work on completely concepts which can do some things much more quickly, and other things much less quickly. So, the concept is just to use them for the things they are much better at.
Shor’s algorithm is a specific approach for the factoring problem. The classical algorithm for factoring is division; you try 2 then 3 then 5 then … all the prime numbers. Knowing 17 isn’t a factor tells you nothing about 19 being a factor.
Shor’s algorithm uses the fact of superposition of qbits (the cat thing). This allows you to solve the problem without trying all the choices. Instead, the algorithm focuses on the zero remainder aspect of the problem.
I know nothing about quantum computers, but some searching helped. Quantum computers aren’t faster – they are more efficient at solving certain problems. Are you familiar with Fourier transforms? Basically quantum computers seem to be good at finding the periodicity of a sequence (or curve) which I believe is analogous to its frequency. It turns out that you can reduce the process of primer factorization into a period finding problem (that is to say, you can rephrase it as a period finding problem)
This blog post was helpful https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=208
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