How Quantum Computers Break Encryption | Shor's Algorithm Explained

[HAL9000]

Interesting vid



Presenter tries to explains the maths behind Shor's Algorithm, so the video has a lot of maths. One fact that this video highlights, Quantum computers at the moment only have a few Qbits, to break one of the smaller numbers used in cryptography would require nearly 6000 Qbits. So it looks like its going to be a few years before a Quantum computer will be breaking secret codes.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I was doing OK up to about 12 minutes in and then he lost me.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Article in New Scientist recently pointed out that we really don't know how quantum computers work. The 'standard' explanation, which is used in that vid and which I would have trotted out as well, is that it is in a superposition of all the calculations at once, then 'collapses' into one when it is measured, as the vid says, to a probability worked out with Schrodinger's equation. But the article calls Emperor's New Clothes on that explanation. We don't really have a way of knowing what is happening at all.

The article sort of cheered me up as I had never been totally happy with my understanding the standard explanation, and had assumed that I was missing something important. Turns out we're all missing something important.

Carlo Rovelli also points out that the so-called 'wave function' doesn't actually describe a wave at all. We don't have the language to describe these things, cos language extends itself using metaphors and we don't have the concepts to hand to make metaphors with. Big challenges!

 

[High Voltage]

I was doing OK up to about 3 minutes in, then he lost me

I'm more of a "pictures" kinda guy I think

Really. Simple. Pictures.

 

[yield]

Article in New Scientist recently pointed out that we really don't know how quantum computers work. The 'standard' explanation, which is used in that vid and which I would have trotted out as well, is that it is in a superposition of all the calculations at once, then 'collapses' into one when it is measured, as the vid says, to a probability worked out with Schrodinger's equation. But the article calls Emperor's New Clothes on that explanation. We don't really have a way of knowing what is happening at all.

The article sort of cheered me up as I had never been totally happy with my understanding the standard explanation, and had assumed that I was missing something important. Turns out we're all missing something important.

Carlo Rovelli also points out that the so-called 'wave function' doesn't actually describe a wave at all. We don't have the language to describe these things, cos language extends itself using metaphors and we don't have the concepts to hand to make metaphors with. Big challenges!

Wasn't that solved last year? Our was that a different problem? The maths is beyond me to be honest

Graduate Student Solves Quantum Verification Problem | Quanta Magazine