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Entangled Qbits
Quantum computing is a strange beast that still uses 1s and 0s, but allows both
states to exist at the same time (time was, we'd throw that data away!). Instead
of "bits," we have "qubits." Qubits can exist in superposition, and groups of qubits
can be "entangled." Entanglement is a sort of long-distance sympathetic relationship
between separated pairs of qubits. The important aspect of quantum computing is
how much faster numbers can be crunched. For example, a classical computer (like
the one you are using now) requires around 5x10^24 steps to find all the prime factors
of a 300 digit number, or about 150,000 years at a terahertz speed. A quantum computer
could accomplish the task in a just 5x10^10 steps, which is less than a second at
terahertz speed. That means today's best encryption algorithms could be cracked
in less than a second.
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