Bits between 0 and 1

[marijnz0r]

Hey SRF,

I remember to read something about bits whose values are between 0 and 1, the new invention of data processing.
Can anyone tell more about it, or give clever links?

[marijnz0r]

Quantum computing, yay

Is anyone studying Computer Science? Or investigating this quantum computing?

[woutR]

my roommate is. So far his study has comprised of playing league of legends all day and watching breaking bad.

[SM-Count]

Also happens when you have hold time violations on your flip flops and you get metastability. I'm a comp sci/bio double major, I've looked into quantum computing and might write my senior thesis on it. (one of my senior theses on it, don't double major kids) It's pretty cool though I doubt I'll be going into theoretical computer science when I graduate/go to grad school (for the money, ofc) so I'm no the most knowledgeable on this subject.

[EvGa]

I know nothing of quantum computing, but I am a cs undergraduate. This is my last year.

[Nick Invaders]

I was not aware you could get values between 0 and 1 in quantum computing. I thought it was that each atom could hold a state of 0 or 1 or both. But of course I know next to nothing on quantum computing. Taking AP Comp Sci in high school

[NuclearSilo]

From some article I read, quantum computer is hundreds or millions of time faster than normal PC.

[EvGa]

Here is all I know about quantum computing from previous knowledge (very little) and what I read today while I was bored:

1. Instead of your normal bit (2 states), you have qubits (quantum bits) which also have 2 states like a normal bit, but may also hold a superposition of both...

2.

3. ?????

4. PROFIT.

[CrimsonNuker]

0.1
0.2
0.3
etc.

[EvGa]

0.1
0.2
0.3
etc.

That would still be stored/represented by bits. Nothing between 0 and 1.

[Mirosuke]

0.1
0.2
0.3
etc.

0.01
0.001
0.0001
yeah, and so on.

[EvGa]

0.1
0.2
0.3
etc.

0.01
0.001
0.0001
yeah, and so on.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

No.

[Gaigemasta]

I don't think there would be values in between 0 and 1, they'd be there own single value. The only issue is how to define a basic operation other than on and off that could be practical

[William-CL]

Quantum computing is still many many years away.

1st, it doesn't use bits. It would use qubits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computer

I read a little about this before, but it doesn't look like we'll get it anytime soon.

[Mcclane]

The bits arent literally read as 0's and 1's but as on and off. The "values" between 1 and 0 would just be like half way on or 3/4 on. At least that how I can make sense of it.

[Nick Invaders]

I don't know how you could be partially off or on. If you take a light switch and move it so it's in the middle, it's still either on or off. It doesn't make it half on or half off, it's just on or off regardless.

Also, having values between 0 and 1 (if we were to do that) would make things incredibly complex at a level that is supposed to be simple. While I myself don't know how complex it would be to read a qubit with a superposition of both on and off, reading a bit with a value of .25 or .5 or .75 would seem more complex.

[EvGa]

^^ That's what makes quantum mechanics so strange and extremely complicated.

[SM-Count]

Quantum computing is still many many years away.

1st, it doesn't use bits. It would use qubits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computer

I read a little about this before, but it doesn't look like we'll get it anytime soon.

Next 15 years, hopefully.

To understand how there can be bits between 0 and 1 you have to understand the digital representation for each bit. Computers run on electricity so obviously the bits are represented by potential. For example, I can designate a 3V+ to be a 1 representation and a 1.5V- to be a 0 representation. Everything between the 1.5-3V margin is called the noise margin, which passes an undefined value as to not misinterpret random noise generated by the computer.

I tried to type up a 'simple' explanation of quantum computers but I realized that it's gonna be more than 3 paragraphs and not simple at all so I'll just reduce it down to a couple of sentences. The superposition of states in a quantum processor lets you run simultaneous instructions at once with the same number of qubits (bit equivalent in digital computers).

For example, you're playing a game and the processor needs to calculate the opacity of 2 difference shadows in 1 frame and that the final calculation was adding a already calculated value to the one currently in the registry, if the instruction 1100 0001b (b = binary) was add 4 to register 1 where the first shadow opacity number is stored and 1010 0010b is add 2 to register 2 where the second shadow opacity number is stored* then that's 2 calculations.

In a quantum computer, since the qubits are wavefunctions and can be in a superposition of 1100 0001 and 1010 0010 at some time. Now extend that to every single shadow calculation and not just the simple addition ones and know that the superposition could mean way more than just 2 calculations at once and you'll start to get an idea how fast this is.

In fact, it can potentially tell the processor to do every single possible instruction the 8 qubits can handle at once. How it actually does the addition afterwards is pretty hard to explain if you don't have some knowledge in digital logic/digital circuits as background.

If you're interested however, and do have the math background, here's a good introductory paper on it: http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/quant-ph/pdf/ ... 5053v1.pdf

It goes through the basic theory and a simple algorithm with both digital and quantum methods to show why quantum computers are potentially life changing.

*note: in my example I'm using the highest bit as the operation code, if it's a 1xxx xxxxb then that means do an addition, then the next 3 bits to specify what number to add, i.e. 100 is 4 in binary and 010 is 2 in binary, then I'm using the next 4 bits to specify which registry to add to. Real computers obviously don't do this.

[Nick Invaders]

Don't have time to read the paper, but that got me even more interested than I have been.

[NuclearSilo]

Only saying that an object could have 2 states at the same time is already mind boggling, don't bother talking about computer

[MrTwilliger]

The bottom line is how much faster will it allow me to access porn? If it doesn't let me do this than I'm not interested.

[woutR]

This shit makes me feel so stupid. I'm glad there's other people into this stuff so I can enjoy all the benefits Keep it up guys.

[NuclearSilo]

The bottom line is how much faster will it allow me to access porn? If it doesn't let me do this than I'm not interested.

Enough for you to watch your neighbor nude-bathing in her pool in live stream using satellite

[SM-Count]

The bottom line is how much faster will it allow me to access porn? If it doesn't let me do this than I'm not interested.

There will be enough processing power to watch 4-D porn.

[William-CL]

The bottom line is how much faster will it allow me to access porn? If it doesn't let me do this than I'm not interested.

There will be enough processing power to watch 4-D porn.

Sold.

[Fauntleroy]

There will be enough processing power to watch 4-D porn.

WOW, show me 4-d porn! And what is fourth dimension?

[William-CL]

There will be enough processing power to watch 4-D porn.

WOW, show me 4-d porn! And what is fourth dimension?

Smell.
Or actually I think it's like those chairs you sit in that move with the video. How would that work for porn?

[NuclearSilo]

There will be enough processing power to watch 4-D porn.

WOW, show me 4-d porn! And what is fourth dimension?

A holography in real 3D connect to your brain so you can enjoy the stimuli at the same time.

[0l3n]

There will be enough processing power to watch 4-D porn.

WOW, show me 4-d porn! And what is fourth dimension?

Smell.
Or actually I think it's like those chairs you sit in that move with the video. How would that work for porn?

A machine would jack you off at the same pace of whatever your watching?

Just a thought.

[EvGa]

If you're interested however, and do have the math background, here's a good introductory paper on it: http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/quant-ph/pdf/ ... 5053v1.pdf

Saved!