1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:09,040 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology with 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: tech Stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hello everybody, 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: and welcome to tech Stuff. My name is Chris Poulette. 5 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: I'm an editor here at how stuff works dot Com 6 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:21,119 Speaker 1: and sitting next to me as usual as the shiny 7 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: happy senior writer Jonathan Strickland. Hey there, and uh, I 8 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: think you said you had something to start out today's 9 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: podcast with. Oh yes, I have two things. The first 10 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: is that I have to let our listeners know we 11 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: have a guest producer for this podcast. Yes, Mr Matt Frederick, 12 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,480 Speaker 1: who you can tell he's a guest producer because before 13 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: he hit record he said take one. Matt is unaware 14 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: of the fact that Chris and I always get it 15 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: in the first take. So Matt, if you would just 16 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: not even bother next time, Okay. But the second thing 17 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: that we have to start off this podcast is listener. 18 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: I feel like I've been sabotaged here listen all of y'all. 19 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: So this listener mayo comes from Ivan, and Ivan says, Hello, 20 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: Jonathan and Chris. I'm a longtime listener and a first 21 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: time writer, and I think it would be fun to 22 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: do a podcast on quantum computers. You could answer questions 23 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: such as, how do quantum computers handle algorithms differently than 24 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: classical computers? Would I be able to put together my 25 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: own quantum computer when our quantum computers expected in the 26 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: consumer market. I'm guessing about a decade by Ivan. You 27 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: know what, Ivan, Uh, your definition of fun and my 28 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: definition of fun may not be the same thing, but 29 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 1: we're gonna tackle it anyway, and we're actually gonna broaden 30 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: it out. We're not just gonna hit quantum computers. We're 31 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: going to hit computers of the future. Well, this, uh, 32 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: this podcast is full of holograms and and funky colors 33 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: and BP noises. Many both ends died to bring us 34 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: this podcast? How many? Both of them? Yes? Both? All right? 35 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: So I guess, um, I guess first we can talk 36 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: a little bit about sort of the state of computers today. 37 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:13,399 Speaker 1: For Chris is just Chris is gone. Chris is gone. 38 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:17,959 Speaker 1: All right, I'm gonna keep going with Chris to get 39 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: it back under control. So classical computers, Uh, we're rapidly 40 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: approaching the time when most well, I guess most is 41 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: probably too too big a word. But some engineers believe 42 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: we are reaching a critical point in classical computers where 43 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: we won't be able to get much faster than what 44 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,239 Speaker 1: we have right now based upon, uh, the traditional method 45 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: of building microprocessors. I'm guessing you're mentioning in your head 46 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: at least, yes, I was gonna get to that. So 47 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: Core's law, this is this all goes back to Moore's law. 48 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: And if you've listened to our podcast on Moore's law, 49 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: you know what we're talking about. If you haven't, right, 50 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,359 Speaker 1: if you haven't, I suggest going back and listening to it, 51 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: because it was a pretty good one, as I recall. 52 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: And uh, but in general, Moore's law it was this 53 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: this sort of observation that Gordon Moore made back in 54 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: the sixties. Yeah, he's the co founder of Intel. Yes, 55 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: I think it was nineteen sixties seven when he made 56 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: this observation originally, and he observed that over the course 57 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: of about well, the time varies depending on when you're 58 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: looking at Moore's law, but we'll say eighteen months. But 59 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,399 Speaker 1: over the course of about eighteen months, you would see 60 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: the number of transistors uh double on a square inch 61 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,079 Speaker 1: of silicon chip. You would be able to pack more 62 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: transistors onto that chip. And there were a lot of 63 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: different reasons for that, but some of it was technological 64 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: development where you start finding new ways of making smaller transistors. 65 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: Part of it was economic because you could find cheaper 66 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: ways to mass produce transistors on a on a smaller 67 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: scale and UM as a result, every eighteen months or so, 68 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: you would see microprocessors get twice as strong as they 69 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: used to be because you've got twice the number of 70 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: components on them. And UH. For years, people have been 71 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: predicting the end of Moore's law, saying that that has 72 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: to come to an end because how could we possibly 73 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: get smaller than what we're looking at now, because right 74 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: now we have transistors microprocessors out there with transistors that 75 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: around the nanoscale they're just you know, a few dozen 76 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,160 Speaker 1: nanometers wide, and that's incredibly tiny, so tiny you can't 77 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: see it with a light microscope. UM. But eventually we're 78 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,279 Speaker 1: going to hit a point where the traditional methods of 79 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: making these microprocessors aren't going to work because we just 80 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,839 Speaker 1: can't make something that's small that works with electrons. So 81 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 1: at the end of the traditional cycle, which some say 82 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: is probably within a decade. Um, there are new ways 83 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:43,280 Speaker 1: of creating processors that will sort of get around that 84 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 1: by making them three dimensional, basically stacking layers on top 85 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: of one another, which is you know, cheating. Yeah, that's uh, yeah, 86 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: it's not really cheating, of course, I mean we're being 87 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: a little facetious, but it's it would mean that we'd 88 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: be sticking more with the class sical computer than branching 89 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: out and trying something really really unusual and different. Um. 90 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,720 Speaker 1: And there are several different approaches that some engineers are 91 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: looking at as alternatives to classical computers, things that, if 92 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: they work out, could be far more powerful and far 93 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,480 Speaker 1: faster than anything we've used up to this point. And perhaps, 94 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: I don't know, eventually power us to the stars where 95 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:26,039 Speaker 1: we can make a prime directive and not mess with 96 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: other people. You know, we made it to the moon 97 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,600 Speaker 1: with less computing power than a common or sixty four, 98 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: so you would think that, you know, with an Atari 99 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: twenty we could at least make it to Mars. So um, 100 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 1: moving on the uh. One of the first one we're 101 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: going to tackle is the one that Ivan was asking 102 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 1: us about, which was quantum computers. So now you're classical computer. 103 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: It operates using operations on data, using a set of instructions, 104 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: and everything gets broken down into bits by binary digits 105 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:03,920 Speaker 1: one or zero off exactly. So that's it. You've got 106 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: tons and tons and tons of these bits put together 107 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 1: to make these instructions. Um. You know, a computer might 108 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:15,280 Speaker 1: be running uh bits that are or or or figures 109 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:19,039 Speaker 1: that are sixty four bits long, which just doesn't sound 110 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: like a lot, But when you add up all the 111 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: different combinations that those bits can have, that's a lot. 112 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: And of course there that's not the upper limit at all. 113 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 1: It's just an example. So quantum computers these are different 114 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:38,160 Speaker 1: because they don't use bits. They use quantum binary digits 115 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,280 Speaker 1: or cubits, which I thought they used to measure the 116 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 1: arc but is it turns out there actually data. See 117 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: I thought it was an awesome nineteen eighties arcade game 118 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: where you jumped around on a pyramid. Oh, you're right, 119 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 1: that's exactly what I was going to say. So cubits, water, cubits, Well, 120 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 1: it's it's a special kind of bit really um quantum 121 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: that we're gonna have to go into quantum theory. I 122 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: really didn't want to have to go into quantum theory 123 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: because that's more of a science topic than a computer topic. 124 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: Also is likely to cause the staff to go get 125 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: them up because my brain will explode. Yeah, I may 126 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: have an aneurysm before I finish this this this next description. 127 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: So quantum theory. Quantum theory is really looking at systems 128 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: that are really, really, really small. We're talking on the 129 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 1: sub atomic level um. You can also use it to 130 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: describe some really really big systems too, but we won't 131 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: get into that. So on this small, small level, things 132 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 1: do not behave the way they do in our macro world. 133 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: Um things that make sense to us because it's on 134 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: a classical physics kind of a scheme. They don't that 135 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: the rules don't apply on the quantum scheme. So to 136 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 1: us it may seem like things are breaking the laws 137 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: of physics. They're not. It's just they're following a different 138 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: set of laws. One of these laws that will come 139 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: into uh importance with the quantum peters is that you 140 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: can have a quantum element inhabits several states at the 141 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: same time. And I'm not talking like states like Idaho 142 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: and Montana. I wasn't going to make that. I'm just 143 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: I just was gonna head you off at the past 144 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: just in case. So bits have two states zero and one, 145 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: or on and off if you prefer. Now, a quantum 146 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: bit can be both a zero and a one at 147 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: the same time and all points in between. It can 148 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:32,719 Speaker 1: inhabit all of those states. Now, what does this mean 149 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 1: from a computing standpoint, Well, that means that when you're 150 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: making a calculation, instead of having to run one set 151 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: of bits to do one calculation, and then a different 152 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 1: set of bits to do a different calculation, you could 153 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: set one set of cubits and do all possible calculations 154 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 1: within that that you know realm of of bits that 155 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: you're using, and it can handle a lot of calculations 156 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: all at the same time instead of doing you know, 157 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 1: one thing at a time so very quickly. For example, 158 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:04,320 Speaker 1: one of the one of the big possible uses of 159 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 1: a quantum computer would be to decrypt information and find 160 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: out what people are actually saying about you behind your back. 161 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: Because cryptography, a lot of the cryptography we depend upon 162 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 1: today um uses It uses factoring. And you take two 163 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:27,319 Speaker 1: really really big prime numbers, you multiply them together, you 164 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: get another number. This becomes the basis of your cryptography 165 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: and only by knowing the two prime numbers that were 166 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 1: used to generate that big number, are you able to 167 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: decrypt the information? Now, for a classical computer to find 168 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: the two largest prime factors of a large number, I 169 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 1: mean we're talking huge numbers here, it can take years, 170 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: like millions of years in some cases for a classical 171 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: computer to decrypt or to to find those two factors. 172 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: A quantum computer, assuming that you have one that's powerful 173 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 1: enough that can run cubits, could find it in a 174 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:06,319 Speaker 1: fraction of that time. So that would totally freak out. 175 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: I was gonna say that that's little, uh mind, Yeah, 176 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,679 Speaker 1: it's um, which is when you get into quantum cryptography, 177 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 1: which again is going beyond the realms of this podcast. 178 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 1: I really really can't get into it because, honestly, people, 179 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: I barely have a grasp on this concept. I've listened 180 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:31,199 Speaker 1: to so many professors and scientists talk about quantum computers 181 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:34,959 Speaker 1: quantum physics, and it seems like a common element is 182 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: that they all will eventually admit to not really being 183 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 1: able to grasp everything about quantum theory. This is pretty 184 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: heavy stuff. Yeah, and like I said, a lot of 185 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: it seems to contradict what we know. For example, you 186 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: wouldn't normally say that an object can be multiple things 187 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:53,600 Speaker 1: all at the same time. Um, and there's another element 188 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: to quantum computing that's kind of tricky. Why why don't 189 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: we have quantum computers now? If we understand quantum computing, 190 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: aren't there quantum computers out on the market now? There 191 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: are quantum computers being worked on in labs um. There 192 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 1: was one that was reportedly up to sixteen cubits a 193 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: couple of years ago. But why aren't we seeing them now? Well, 194 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: one of the reasons is because it's really hard to 195 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,560 Speaker 1: keep a quantum computer in working order. Um. There are 196 00:11:17,559 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: a couple of different reasons for this. The elements tend 197 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:22,840 Speaker 1: to have a habit of interacting with things around their 198 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: environment as opposed to each other. So then you get 199 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: corrupt data because from what from what I understand, everything 200 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:32,560 Speaker 1: stays the way it is as long as nothing touches it. 201 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: But since we're talking about very very tiny things and 202 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,880 Speaker 1: things into other things, you have to be able to 203 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:40,960 Speaker 1: isolate everything and not have it interact with anything other 204 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 1: than what it's supposed to interact with. Otherwise your your 205 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:47,600 Speaker 1: results are not trustworthy. That seems problematic There's also the 206 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 1: the the the old principle of if you observe it, 207 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: you change the observed. You know this. This principle often 208 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: mentioned as part of the whole shrot Injurer's cat problem. 209 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: Are you familiar with singers? A familiar with for those 210 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:10,320 Speaker 1: who are alive maybe until you open the box? Um 211 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,680 Speaker 1: so Schrodinger's cat. This is a classic quantum physics problem. 212 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,320 Speaker 1: Uh the The idea being that you have a cat 213 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 1: shut in a box. There is a canister of poisonous 214 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 1: gas that will release sometime between say, five minutes and 215 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: twenty five minutes, and there's no way of predicting. It's 216 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: just gonna it's gonna pop open randomly sometime between five 217 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: and twenty five minutes. If you open up that box 218 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 1: within twelve minutes and observe the cat, it will either 219 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:37,960 Speaker 1: be alive or dead. But before you open up the 220 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:41,320 Speaker 1: box and observe it, it is, according to this principle, 221 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,679 Speaker 1: both alive and dead at the same time. It only 222 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 1: becomes one or the other for sure when you open 223 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:50,000 Speaker 1: it and observe it, you have changed it. The reason 224 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 1: behind this is it gets really kind of complex. But 225 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,319 Speaker 1: if you were to try and observe quantum particles. Just 226 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:58,679 Speaker 1: by the act of observing them, by hitting them with 227 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 1: a photon of light, you have changed the behavior of 228 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: that quantum particle. Therefore, it is no longer doing what 229 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: it used to do, and your measurement doesn't really matter anymore. 230 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 1: You're not measuring what it was what it had been doing. 231 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:13,840 Speaker 1: You're measuring what it's doing right now after you've hit 232 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: it with light. Quantum computers have a similar problem. You 233 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 1: try and observe them. They've become classic computers, and you've 234 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 1: just threw into your quantum computer. Alright, So you have 235 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 1: to find a way to measure the results in such 236 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 1: a way that does not disturb the cubits themselves. And 237 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,200 Speaker 1: also all your results are coming out in sort of 238 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: a probability as opposed to this is definitely the answer. 239 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: You might get seven percent chance that this is your answer. 240 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 1: There's a twenty percent chance that this is your answer. 241 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 1: There's a twelve percent chance that this is your answer. 242 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,320 Speaker 1: So not necessarily something you want when you want to 243 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: find out what the temperature is outside. I was gonna 244 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: say it sounds a lot like the computer models that 245 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:55,960 Speaker 1: the meteorologists use, because they say, well, on this computer 246 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 1: I'm getting this, and that computer I'm getting that. So 247 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: an answer to your other questions, ivan Um, I found 248 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: an article in Nature that suggested that, well it was 249 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,679 Speaker 1: by it was quoting Andrew Stein of the University of 250 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 1: Oxford in the UK um and uh, quantum computers may 251 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 1: not really hit the consumer market. They may be more 252 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: niche products because of the way they do computation. I mean, 253 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 1: it's not like we're going to be going to quantum 254 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 1: Facebook and quantum Twitter to do our quantum email. Um. 255 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: They're they're really sort of high high end computing needs. 256 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: Probably not until we're eating all our meals in pill form, right, 257 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 1: But around is when he expects to to see that happen, 258 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 1: So we we should see them more prominently, assuming that 259 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: engineers can get beyond the problems of you know, the 260 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,520 Speaker 1: more quantum logic gates you add to a computer, the 261 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 1: more difficult it is to control the the cubits, and 262 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: therefore the more difficult it is to get reliable results. 263 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:58,360 Speaker 1: You have to get past that problem first before you 264 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 1: can actually build a quantum computer of really of of 265 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: any meaningful power. Well, at least, quantum computing isn't what 266 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: I originally thought it was, which was you know, taking 267 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: your laptop into Sedan. Um. Wow. Wow. Anyhow, so high 268 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: speed stuff has an opening. UM. The the the other 269 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: part of your question. Can I build one? Now? I mean, 270 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: if you're maybe if you're at the Stanford Research Institute 271 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: or something, if you're if you're on one of these 272 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: these projects that, yeah, you might be. You're not going 273 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 1: to pick up the parts at best by that, No, 274 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: it's not gonna be one of those things that you 275 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: order out of Popular Mechanics or anything like that. All right, 276 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: so we can move on to two different futuristic computers. 277 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 1: I was thinking of the DNA computers. DNA computers, okay, yeah, 278 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: so the ox i ribo nucleic acid computers they run 279 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: on good old fashioned DNA. UM. This is another one 280 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: of the those computers that could potentially replace classical computers, 281 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: at least in research institutes, just like just like quantum 282 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:10,640 Speaker 1: computers could. UM. Again, you're talking about computers that can 283 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,160 Speaker 1: perform calculations on a parallel kind of scheme where they're 284 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 1: they're running multiple applications all at the same time, multiple 285 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 1: um uh computations. I guess you could say, UM and 286 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 1: it runs on DNA, and one of the things that 287 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:28,920 Speaker 1: it really has going for it is that DNA is 288 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: kind of cheap because there's a lot of it around. 289 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: Turns out, what do you know, spitting this cup all right, 290 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 1: we've got enough computing power for the next five years. Um. Yeah, 291 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,320 Speaker 1: it's kind of cool. And there are a lot of 292 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: different teams that are working on DNA computers and they're 293 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: really looking at molecular biology as a way of, uh 294 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,160 Speaker 1: of of advancing computer science to levels that we can 295 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: only kind of dream of right now. Um, again, this 296 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:59,400 Speaker 1: is stuff that is kind of in the research phase. 297 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: It's it's fairly recent. Um. The the original idea of 298 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: the DNA computer, I would say probably dates back to 299 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:10,200 Speaker 1: early nineties, So quantum computers actually we're theaterrized back in 300 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: the early eighties. But uh, we're still in that very 301 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 1: early stage where people are looking at ways where they 302 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:19,919 Speaker 1: can harness d N A and use that as a 303 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:25,040 Speaker 1: coding mechanism for um for computational problems. Do you have 304 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,239 Speaker 1: anything to add to that? Not to that topic, I 305 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 1: was going to bring up some uh, some computers at 306 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:34,359 Speaker 1: the very near future, and I was thinking that, you know, 307 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 1: based on some of the other topics we've discussed on 308 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,080 Speaker 1: the podcast. I think quantum or quantum computing may not 309 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:42,399 Speaker 1: be what we see on our desktop in two years, 310 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:44,640 Speaker 1: But what we see on our desktop in two years 311 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:47,120 Speaker 1: is probably going to be very small, like portable, and 312 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:49,680 Speaker 1: may not even have a hard drive in it because 313 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:53,240 Speaker 1: everything is moving to the web. I mean memory and uh, 314 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:57,320 Speaker 1: memory and storage space are basically you know, very very 315 00:17:57,400 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: very cheap at this point, and I think that's just 316 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:03,479 Speaker 1: going to encourage more companies to offer cloud computing for 317 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: storage and software as a service. Um, you're likely to 318 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:11,879 Speaker 1: see netbooks and tablets and uh, you know even you know, 319 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:17,119 Speaker 1: cell phone convergence devices. Hey, I use your favorite word, um, 320 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 1: you know so and in the very near future, people, 321 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 1: a lot of people, including a person sitting across me, 322 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:27,640 Speaker 1: think that thinks that desktops are going away. I think 323 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:33,359 Speaker 1: they might become the realm of enterprise, you know, uh, 324 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,639 Speaker 1: method you'll still see him. I thinking in school labs 325 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 1: and and uh and corporate offices, right, I don't think. 326 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: And apparently our producer thinks he's going to have a 327 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 1: desktop computer for a very long time because he's miming it. Um. 328 00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: Either that or he's itching in some spot. Well, he 329 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:57,359 Speaker 1: uses a Mac and that doesn't count. Everyone knows about 330 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:02,320 Speaker 1: my anti max bias. Your so the the yeah, we 331 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: should have like the text stuff drinking game. You drink 332 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:07,040 Speaker 1: every time Jonathan says he has an anti mac bias. 333 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:10,200 Speaker 1: Drink every time the word convergence comes up. Um. Cloud 334 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,400 Speaker 1: computing would be another one, you guys would be tanked 335 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:17,160 Speaker 1: by now. And then there's something else magnetic ram oh yeah, yeah, 336 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: things that are going to improve the day to day 337 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,880 Speaker 1: performance and portability of computing. Well, that was another one 338 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: of the one of the elements of DNA computers is 339 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: that DNA, of course, is incredibly tiny, and you can 340 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: pack um enough DNA into a cubic centimeter of space 341 00:19:37,359 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 1: too to get I think it's something like something ridiculous 342 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: like ten terra flops of of processing speed, which is 343 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:49,160 Speaker 1: pretty freaking fast. Um it's very powerful computer, especially when 344 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,640 Speaker 1: you consider that's one cubic centimeter. That's not necessarily all 345 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:55,880 Speaker 1: that you would have. UM. I was going to talk 346 00:19:55,880 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: about one other kind of possible future computer, optical computers 347 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:05,480 Speaker 1: or photonic computers. Yeah. These are computers that instead of 348 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: using electrons as uh, the method of conveying information. That's 349 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: the way classical computers do convey information. If you weren't aware, Um, 350 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,680 Speaker 1: it's a hole through electrons. It's there. Aren't actually hamsters 351 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: running around inside your computer, no matter how old it 352 00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:24,400 Speaker 1: might be. I mean, unless you turn your computer into 353 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,320 Speaker 1: a hamster farm, which I guess you could do. No. 354 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:31,040 Speaker 1: Photonic computers use light instead of electrons, so little beams 355 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:33,439 Speaker 1: of light to turn on and off. And you know, 356 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,880 Speaker 1: it's just like bits. You've got two different states. You've 357 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:40,120 Speaker 1: got on and you've got off. And of course light 358 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 1: travels pretty darn fast. In fact, it travels faster than 359 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:46,120 Speaker 1: just about anything else we can think of. So you're 360 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: talking about a high speed computing system that could potentially 361 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,080 Speaker 1: leave classical computers behind. Again, you have to be able 362 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 1: to build a an optical core, an optical CPU at 363 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:02,359 Speaker 1: the center of this computer. Um. I've read about a 364 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 1: few different experiments that have tried to do this. Most 365 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:12,200 Speaker 1: of them involve um cooling the CPU to a temperature 366 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:16,160 Speaker 1: not that much warmer than absolute zero, which is kind 367 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:20,280 Speaker 1: of impractical for the home. It seems reasonably impractical. Yeah, 368 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,120 Speaker 1: we're probably fairly expensive. Yes, when you're when you're talking 369 00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:25,879 Speaker 1: about maybe a degree or two above the temperature of 370 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 1: deep space. That's not necessarily something most of us can 371 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 1: achieve nor would want in our home. A honey, where 372 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: do we put the liquid nitrogen? Right? Actually, you probably 373 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: need liquid helium. I think nitrogen would only get you 374 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,919 Speaker 1: down to yeah, because liquid helium would be what they 375 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: use over at the Large Hadron Collider. But yeah, optical computers. 376 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:51,959 Speaker 1: That could be another another future computer that will replace 377 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: classical computers, at least in the research firm area. So again, 378 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,160 Speaker 1: not necessarily something that we're gonna see on our desktop 379 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:02,080 Speaker 1: at home we're in our Xbox games or anything like that, 380 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: but it would be it would be I got you know, 381 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: you'd be like, man, it takes almost point zero zero 382 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,120 Speaker 1: zero eight seconds for Firefox to load. I can't believe 383 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:18,159 Speaker 1: how slow it is. You know, we'd still complain of 384 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:20,679 Speaker 1: it would be instantaneous to us, but it would be 385 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: just slightly less instantaneous than it should be. So uh well, 386 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:28,879 Speaker 1: I mean that's those were the three biggies that I 387 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 1: wanted to hit. Were um, quantum, DNA, and optical. Uh 388 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 1: did you have anything else? Add? Not really awesome? Then 389 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 1: we can wrap this up and of course, We've already 390 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: done our listener mail and I'm not going to torture 391 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: you with a second one. So everyone, if you want 392 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:45,439 Speaker 1: to learn more, we have articles at how stuff works 393 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 1: dot com about all this sort of stuff, including quantum computers, 394 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 1: quantum cryptography, DNA computers. So if you really want to 395 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:55,720 Speaker 1: learn more about the future of computing, visit the website. 396 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: We go into a lot more detail there and linked 397 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,400 Speaker 1: to other really good resources as you can, And if 398 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 1: you really want to explore this and learn more, I 399 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,720 Speaker 1: highly recommended. The topics are so deep and and dense 400 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: it's hard to really tackle them in the podcast format, 401 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,119 Speaker 1: especially since we don't have any real visual aids that 402 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,400 Speaker 1: we can throw in there either. So I do recommend 403 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:19,359 Speaker 1: visiting the website if you're interested. And as for us, well, 404 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: I guess we will talk to you again really soon. 405 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:29,159 Speaker 1: Actually didn't mention the address, Oh the email address, all right, 406 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:30,920 Speaker 1: I need to go back and do that. Then, yeah, 407 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:37,600 Speaker 1: what No, I can't work like this. I can't work 408 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 1: like oh fine, We're just going and take one alright, alright, listen, 409 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:42,919 Speaker 1: everybody listen. That was just to fake out all the 410 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: people who aren't really tech stuff fans. So all you 411 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:48,240 Speaker 1: real tech stuff fans who have stuck around, you didn't 412 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 1: hit stop on your iPods. You're awesome. You're way better 413 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:54,479 Speaker 1: than those losers who already stopped the podcast. So if 414 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:56,919 Speaker 1: you want to tell us how awesome you are, you 415 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,440 Speaker 1: can do it by emailing us, and our email address 416 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 1: is tech stuff at how stuff works dot com, and 417 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,199 Speaker 1: we will talk to you what I just wanted to 418 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:10,199 Speaker 1: point out if you've got we sometimes we get technical problems. 419 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: People write us in with with actual tech support questions 420 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: rather than how do quantum computers work, which is a 421 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: much easier question to answer than what the heck did 422 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: I do to my hard drive? If you actually have 423 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:24,240 Speaker 1: a technical support problem, you should probably get in touch 424 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:26,399 Speaker 1: with somebody who can help you with that in a 425 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,879 Speaker 1: more expedient fashion than we can. Also, we may or 426 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 1: may not know what's going on with your particular system, 427 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,840 Speaker 1: so I would advise you know, finding your brother or 428 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: person who normally does your tech support and get them 429 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,399 Speaker 1: to help with those kinds of questions, and we'll handle 430 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:43,880 Speaker 1: the how stuff works type of questions. Now, I should 431 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,160 Speaker 1: point out that all you awesome people who stuck around, 432 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: clearly you wouldn't have a problem to write down about 433 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:50,679 Speaker 1: in the first place. It's all those people earlier on 434 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 1: who would be writing in. But of course they wouldn't 435 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: do it anyway, because I didn't say that even them, 436 00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:58,840 Speaker 1: did I. All right, well, then that was a super command. 437 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:04,879 Speaker 1: Take that, Fred Levin. Alright, then I'm gonna go and 438 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: take a nap now, And for the rest of you guys, 439 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:13,639 Speaker 1: we'll talk to you again really soon. For more on 440 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,400 Speaker 1: this and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff Works 441 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,560 Speaker 1: dot com and be sure to check out the new 442 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 1: tech stuff blog now on the house Stuff Works homepage. 443 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 444 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:30,880 Speaker 1: It's ready, are you