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We've been hearing about optical computing and quantum computers for some time now, but for the most part, it's been theoretical talk and 'gee-whiz wouldn't that be cool?' chatter. No longer the case, an optical computer has performed its first ever calculation.
The calculation in question consisted of finding the prime factors of 15. It did this by coupling four photons into and out of the chip using optical fibres. The photons carried the input for the calculation and then implemented a quantum program called Shor's algorithm to complete and output the answer (3 and 5, if you're playing along at home). That might not sound very impressive, but it marks a significant step towards creating a quantum computer.
"This task could be done much faster by any school kid, but this is a really important proof-of-principle demonstration," said PhD student Alberto Politi from the University of Bristol.
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Vrml_Basic
September 16, 2010 at 11:05am
The article contends that "any school kid" could factor 15 faster.
Sadly, I have to contest that. Without Googling or using something like MatLab, most schoolkids couldn't do this today, especially mentally, God forbid!
...most kids don't even know what factoring is.
In an age where the teachers have copious ignorance, and the way algebra is taught is to "put the two equations into your Y-Equals menu, and then hit graph, zoom->0: Zoomfit, trace->5: Intersect", does this surprise anyone?
You know it's sad but true.
nekollx
September 08, 2009 at 11:35am
but did it have to travel though time to get the answer?
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