The Quantum World
The Quantum World
and why you should learn about this mysterious phenomenon.
Imagine this.
You go to a temple nearby and you ring a bell. The moment you do that, a light goes off on the International Space Station. You ring another bell, and the Mars rover turns off. One more ring, and you’re making Saturn lose one of it’s rings.
I know what you’re thinking. We’re humans. We don’t have superpowers.
And what sort of temple bell is this? Is this guy watching too much X-Men?
Yes, all of the above wouldn’t be possible in the physical realm. You can’t just ring a bell & change things located billions of miles away from you. At least not yet.
But, what if I told you that something like this happens in the quantum realm? Wouldn’t that be fascinating?
Quantum Entanglement
Let me try to explain this concept to you in a way that will make it stick in your mind.
You’re probably reading this article on your phone right now. If you had the ability to see things at the sub-atomic level, you’d see that your phone is made up of BILLIONS [AND BILLIONS] of atoms which are constantly moving.
When you tap on the screen, nothing happens to the physical object. It retains its original shape and size. You can still make a call to your best mate. You can still watch memes on Instagram. You’re still a slave to that device.
But, at the sub-atomic level a LOT has happened. Your tap on the screen has changed the movement of several atoms. Let’s assume that one of the atoms in your phone is entangled.
What does that mean?
This atom in your phone is intimately linked to another atom. And distance doesn’t matter. That other atom could be in a galaxy millions of light years away and these atoms would still be entangled. There’s a mysterious bond between them. You induce a change in one atom and that causes a change in the other.
How it this even possible? How does entanglement happen? How can something be so far away and yet be connected? Are the atoms in love?
I have no idea. And these are amazing questions to take a deeper dive into this fascinating concept, which I urge you to. I know I am hooked!
Let’s talk business
In 2017, Chinese researchers were able to TELEPORT photons from the ground to a satellite in low earth orbit.
In 2020, China built the world’s most powerful quantum computer named ‘Jiuzhang’ which could perform calculations in 3 minutes that would take the world’s fastest supercomputer 2.5 billion years to complete.
Other countries are not sitting on their laurels & are investing heavily in quantum technologies. India recently launched a National Quantum Mission allocating INR 6,000 crore for research into quantum technology.
We are already seeing how AI is taking the world by storm. Heck my entire twitter feed is bursting with threads on ‘how to use ChatGPT to become 10x more productive’. And, I’ve used ChatGPT for actual research (even to write this article) and I’m convinced there’s no going back.
You’re going to need WAAAAAY more computing power to build robust AI capabilities. Enter Quantum Computing. Its phenomenally quick. Can handle more complex computing requirements. QC <> AI could change EVERYTHING.
If you’re a retail investor, you should definitely gain a deeper knowledge of how this industry works and look for options to invest in quantum technology. One of the ways to make multi-bagger returns is to spot industries when they’re just beginning to scale up.
Its an exciting [and a scary] time to be alive folks!