Quantum Computers (textbook Level)

A quantum computer is a special type of computer that uses principles of quantum physics to process information. Ordinary digital computers use bits, commonly represented as: 0 or 1 Quantum computers use quantum bits, called qubits. At textbook level, a qubit can be understood as a quantum system that can exist in a combination of the states associated with 0 and 1 until it is measured. This idea is called superposition. Quantum computing can also make use of entanglement, in which quantum states have correlations that cannot be described independently in the usual classical way. Quantum computers are not simply faster versions of ordinary computers. Their advantage applies to certain types of problems and algorithms. Possible fields of research include: simulation of quantum systems; some optimization problems; cryptography-related algorithms; materials and chemistry research.