Qubits

What is a qubit?

No, it isn't the unit of dimension for measuring Noah's Ark. That a cubit:



And no, it's not the video game with a little creature who uses a language all his own. That's Q*bert:



To understand a qubit, first you have to understand the computer term bit, which is a contraction of BInary digiT. A bit has two states: a one and a zero. It's at this level that all digital computers operate.

A qubit is a quantum bit which is actually an oxymoron. Qubits can simultaneously describe many values. They hold out both the possibility of a new generation of faster computing systems and the ability to create completely secure communication networks.

To see qubits in action, you should check out this article in which scientists have reported using entanglement to securely transmit data, possibly faster than the speed of light. In essence, they built a primitive version of a quantum computer. They produced qubits using electrons trapped in diamonds at extremely low temperatures.

You will recall in an earlier post, I discussed the death of Moore's Law and claimed the next leap forward in computing will be quantum computers. This is the type of computer that Rei Bierak took with him in Rome's Revolution and was featured in Rome's Evolution.

Also, don't forget, MASAL was built using the designs found after The Ark Lords were defeated. MASAL caused The Robot War among other unpleasantries. So be careful what you wish for!