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Quantum computing
To explain what makes quantum computers so different from their classical counterparts we begin by having a closer
look at a basic chunk of information namely one bit. A bit is the
basic unit of information in a digital computer. From a physical point
of view, a bit is a physical system which can be prepared in one of
the two different states representing two logical values --- no or
yes, false or true, or simply 0 or 1. For example, in digital
computers, the voltage between the plates in a capacitor represents a
bit of information: a charged capacitor denotes bit value 1 and an
uncharged capacitor bit value 0. One bit of information can be also
encoded using two different polarizations of light or two different
electronic states of an atom. In any of the systems listed above, a
bit can store a value of logical 1 or logical 0 using some method
which depends on the system used. The size of the register to be used
would be determined by the maximum value that is to be used (m) and
the number of bits in each register is determined using the equation
k = log 2 n
where n is the smallest power of 2 greater than or equal to m
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