Quantum Adders - The beginning of the New Gen Computers

Its all just math, and it all comes down to ones and zeros.

As I finished up the Intro to Quantum Computing class during my last year at Dakota State University, we were tasked to make a full adder using Qiskit through python. While we had access to an actual quantum computer to run programs through IBM we had to actually code it up by hand to show that we knew how each qubit worked and reacted to input. Also while a full adder is pretty easy to do, knowing the basics is the best way to break into new languages and computing possibilities.

The full project can be seen Here for download and expirementation.

The basic starting blocks of a quantum computer is learning how to make a quantum bit (qubit) see what is to be considered a 1 and what to be a 0. This is determined as its spin and whether that is spin up or spin down. More about that nitty griity can be read in the book by Andrew Glassner called "Quantum Computing" which you can find Here

The next big milestone is understanding what an adder is, let alone a full adder. What an adder is, is just that. It adds two things together and in this case binary numbers. They are classified simply as half or full adders. A half adder takes two binary numbers (1 or 0) and gives back an output. In this case, from just two inputs of either 1 or 0, the most that can be returned is 2. But combining half adders makes a full adder. This unlocks all types of numbers by linking full adders over and over. Every number and logic gate and computing resource is based off of these bits and binary being added and subtracted from each other in order to make amazing things happen.

This is a pretty simple idea, continue to stack ones and zeros on top of each other and add them together in order to make higher and higher numbers. This is also the kind of simple tech that brought the astronauts to the moon. This allows bank details to safely pass from your work to your bank account. This is also the math in the background that lets you drive your car and use a calculator to help with exams. Thats why transposing it over to quantum computing is an important first step when making these machines. Knowing how these new qubits and logic gates work helps with the understanding that in a few years these computers will be able to solve the most complicated math problems thousands of times faster then our modern computers.

In Conclusion - What I Learned

While not as long or in depth as some of my other projects, it was a very good step toward the future. As we get ready to make quantum computing a normal occurance in our professional life it is important to know the absolute basics like they did back in the day before standardized coding languages. As we continue to build upon this simple baseline I am looking forward to when quantum computing goes hand in hand with traditional computing or someone can dual-boot between either depending on the situation.