A QUICK CRAZY #TWITTER #THREAD OF WHAT #QUANTUMCOMPUTING IS, FROM THIS LAYMAN (UNDERSTANDING MORE IMPORTANT THAN ACCURACY EXPLANATION) #DRAFT

Tiisetso Maloma
3 min readJan 22, 2021

Let’s start in this weird way. Think #nanotechnology. Nano is a metre zoomed into one-billionth times. Nanotechnology is the examination of things in that kind of zoom (atom level) and thus manipulating them.

For example, normal glue gets loose when exposed to high temperatures. Nanotech has enabled the zooming into glue/adhesive makeup. And through that knowledge of observing these materials at such an atom level, scientists tinkered and found a way to manipulate them at a nano-level and make a nano-glue.

A nano-glue is a glue that unlike normal glue does not lose its adhesiveness when exposed to high temperatures.

This is what nanotechnology is able to do.

Now, nanotechnology has enabled the zooming into cells, i.e. cells of living organisms, e.g. humans.

A cell is made of molecules and molecules are made of atoms. An atom radius is between 30 to 300 picometer, i.e. trillionths of a meter. Our eyes can’t see such. Only nano lenses can.

Cells zoomed at a nano-level behave differently. It is not as simple as measuring the dimension of a box.

You can represent a box’s dimensions mathematically and in computer bits (1’s and O’s).

You cannot with a cell because it is a living thing and is not still like a box.

It is difficult/impossible to represent a cell in bits (1’s and 0’s).

We can say cells are wobbly. A stupid but simplifying example of a cell (not accurate but elaborate for understanding): Imagine a balloon filled with water that is both rolling clockwise and anticlockwise — at the same damn time.

Crazy to imagine right? Therefore crazy and impossible to represent in normal maths and in bits.

This is where quantum math comes in.

It measures cells in waves. The waves express probabilities of the cell’s measurements.

Now, quantum computing is representing the probability measurements of the cells in a digital form, i.e. in quantum bits. And not simple 1’s and 0’s.

Imagine nanotech enabling the tracking of cancer cells and through that scientists are able to find probabilities of countering those cells, e.g. through medicine or even lasers.

Normal maths and computer bits cannot represent this. But quantum math and bits can.

Also, imagine you get into a car accident and the paramedics have nano-censors or nano-lasers that can read (zoom) your body right there and then and:

- Find out where exactly you are injured and make recommendations.

- Find also what other illnesses you have besides the accident injuries.

- And allergies

- Running such data may even compute what drugs you could be resistant to

That is a rough explanation of quantum computing, in my own stupid terms.

Excuse any inaccuracy. I hope it helps paint a picture. That is what is critical in forming a first understanding

#4IR #FourthIndustrialRevolution #4thIndustrialRevolution #innovatenext

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Tiisetso Maloma

Publishing, brands and education entrepreneur. Created 100+ products and authored 10 books. Innovation and economics enthusiast