[Dalberg-Acton]

No offense, but I call BS. 51 atoms does not a computer make.

[Cboldt]

I’ve puzzled over the significance of “quantum computing,” and the closest I come is to recall analog computers. Analog computers are great for certain kinds of problem solving.

[Lazamataz]

No offense, but I call BS. 51 atoms does not a computer make.

Actually, it does.

Instead of bits, 1 or 0, a Qubit can have nearly infinite states. This makes it an amazing form of memory.

[Right_Wing_Madman]

51 atoms does not a computer make.

But it does! Soon our laptop will tie to a 300-atom computer in a Google or IBM refrigerator at near zero temperature.

A normal computer bit is either on or off, 0 or 1. But due to the crazy nature of quantum mechanics, an electron spins clockwise and counterclockwise, AT THE SAME TIME! So a q-bit is 0 and 1 at the same time, exponentionally inceasing computer power with every atom you add. 2 to the power of 51 (51 atoms) equals a 2000000000000000-bit computer!

[HiTech RedNeck]

The devil (and God) is in the interface.

Qubit logic will allow the simultaneous search of all the possibilities represented by an array of bits. Instead of testing all the possible values of the array one by one like we do now, it allows testing them all simultaneously and immediately indicating the value that meets the criteria. Things like factoring huge integers will become easy, and modern encryption will become a fishbowl.