Quantum Mechanics in Quantum Computing

Quantum mechanics is a scientific theory that seeks to describe atomic and subatomic particles (or quantum particles) as well as the interaction among them. Such particles include electrons, protons, neutrons, and photons. In classical mechanics, a particle’s future state is described with certainty once its present state is known. At any given moment, its momentum and position are determined with certainty. In quantum mechanics, its future state is described probabilistically. Instead of a single momentum, a particle can assume a simultaneous range of momenta, and instead of a single position, it can take a simultaneous range of positions. Since the product of these ranges is no less than a specific positive universal constant, a decrease in the range of its position forces an increase in the range of momentum and vice versa. It is precisely this effect of quantum particles that quantum computing seeks to exploit in order to manipulate a huge amount of information simultaneously. Quantum computing is a mathematical theory currently being developed to give a theoretical basis for building a “quantum computer,” which is envisioned to be faster than any classical computer to date. Quantum computing is based on the principles of quantum mechanics. In this article we will look at the postulates of quantum mechanics upon which quantum computing is based.