
Teaching quantum computing to a (really smart) toddler - nicholast
https://medium.com/@_NicT_/quibbling-over-qubits-f2ca1b87f470#.fq37k2e81
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nicholast
Hi so this is my first submission to Hacker News. I don't know if there are
rules against posting your own work in this forum, if so I apologize. Have
been reading a bit here and there on quantum computers for a while and thought
it would be fun to try and consolidate key concepts and terms into a blog
post, hope some here may enjoy.

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ivan_ah
Hi Nic, no rules against self-posting as long as it's interesting articles
like yours and not just self promotion.

I know a bit about quantum computing too so I did a high-level fact checking
of your post without finding any bugs. Impressed you managed to do math
equations on medium. It is a bit long though... saved to continue later.

On a different note and for a different perspective, you should check out this
excellent review paper by Sara Robinson, _Emerging Insights on Limitations of
Quantum Computing Shape Quest for Fast Algorithms_ :
[https://www.siam.org/pdf/news/100.pdf](https://www.siam.org/pdf/news/100.pdf)
It's an old article, but all the points she raises are still valid. I think
it's going to be REALLY hard to get large number of coherent qubits to do
computations.

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nicholast
Agree this post was a little longer than what I usually write, obviously I
was't going to achieve a comprehensive overview but I wanted to touch on as
many of key points as I could without going overboard. I tried to make up for
length by incorporating some humorous elements in the second half and limiting
math equations to the minimum necessary for elementary concepts. It reads
better if you use the soundtrack :)

The detailed challenges of extending coherence time are mostly hidden to those
whose primarily research tools are search engines and textbooks such as
myself. This is the realm of proprietary tech, all I can do is speculate based
on the credibility of those making large investments in the space that those
in the know see potential.

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nicholast
PS just added a few more more graphics / some humorous elements to first half
of post, it was a little dry, I think it reads better now.

