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Comment by __i___ii____ | Hacker News Reader

Damn I feel stupid.

Don't. I just got my PhD (working on quantum computing at a good school) and I do not really get the point they are making. It is interesting, but esoteric even for people working in related fields.

However, it is a great opportunity to start learning more about it!

My comment isn't useful, but I really can't get a handle on anything "quantum" related. The only thing I sort of understand is that if you could entangle a massive amount of photons/electrons, you could have "quantum radar" which would be jam-proof.

I don't really understand even that though. Could you verify an electron reflecting back is entangled with an electron you have on hand, or are they all just "entangled" with something or "entangled" with some spin (which could be replicated)?

>My comment isn't useful, but I really can't get a handle on anything "quantum" related.

That is probably because you have tried to read "applications" papers/articles (some of them of dubious scientific value, and more sci-fi/futurology) without properly understanding the fundamentals first. I strongly recommend "Quantum Mechanics", Cohen-Tannoudji et al. The first two chapters are the best introduction to quantum mechanics I've read: concise and to the point, starting from experiment and explaining the key ideas of quantum theory, and then the mathematical formulation.

Thanks for the recommendation!

This is a go-to resources for laymen who would like to learn the basics of physics. https://theoreticalminimum.com/

Thanks for that! Hadn’t come across this. Seems like the perfect way to refresh the knowledge I once had (bachelor degree 1986).

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