Quantum Computers

[Sean Evans]

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/art ... scientists

“In offices and laboratories scattered around the globe — in Russia, China, Singapore, Europe, the United States and Canada — some of the finest scientific minds are busily pursuing the same goal, a computing device whose fundamental components are so small as to be invisible to humans but whose calculating power would far outstrip any conventional computer you could imagine, even one as big as the universe itself.”

====

If/When quantum computers are working, perhaps this would be enough computing power to calculate all the potential moves in chess! A database of all moves could be created with Internet access open to anyone!!

Anyway, just a thought.

Cordially,

Sean Evans

[ernest]

If/When quantum computers are working

Dream on!...

[Sean Evans]

If/When quantum computers are working

Dream on!...

"Here in Canada, the main centre for this area of research — there are others — was founded 10 years ago at the University of Waterloo. Now the Institute for Quantum Computing is in the process of moving into palatial new quarters, the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre, designed by Toronto architectural firm KPMB and built at a cost of $160 million.

Headed by Laflamme, the institute brings 25 faculty members from roughly half a dozen countries together with about 40 post-doctoral fellows and roughly 90 students in the quest for something that is at once almost unimaginably small — on the scale of atoms and electrons — and yet colossally powerful."

They once said the atom could not be split, it seems there are many scientists that think quantum computers will be available soon! I am just trying to get my brain around the computing power of one of these types of computers

[lucasart]

If/When quantum computers are working, perhaps this would be enough computing power to calculate all the potential moves in chess!

I doubt it. There are more positions in chess than atoms in the universe...

[duncan]

If/When quantum computers are working, perhaps this would be enough computing power to calculate all the potential moves in chess!

I doubt it. There are more positions in chess than atoms in the universe...

you mean more games ?

[dchoman]

If/When quantum computers are working, perhaps this would be enough computing power to calculate all the potential moves in chess!

I doubt it. There are more positions in chess than atoms in the universe...

It may be possible... In principle the computational power of a quantum compter scales like 2 to the N power, where N is the number of qbit, so we don't need more than the number of atoms in the universe... Only 100 or so would be enough for all possible chess positions because they are represented simultaneously in a quantum superposition. The trick is to figure out how to write an algorithm for such a thing.

[jefk]

[quote="dchoman"][quote="lucasart"][quote="Sean Evans"]
It may be possible... The trick is to figure out how to write an algorithm for such a thing.[/quote]
initially quantum computing tools will be only used for some unconventional calculations like cracking cryptographic codes or so. And by the time they can do more we will be even more certain already with conventional tools that with best play for both sides the result of a chess game, especially with the Fide 50 move endgame rule will be a draw. ALthough not a 100 pct mathematical solid proof maybe, i suspect someone as for example GM Kaufman who used the Idea tool of convekta with minimax, will agree with this. If you build a large tree, in some situations using minimax you will already hit the endgame bases, and you'll see that the result,whether you start with e4, d4, or whatever is a draw. And the use of minimax for 2person zero sum games has been validated, proven as best there is, already was proven with the minimax theory of John Neumann, some seventy years ago or so:
http://math2033.uark.edu/wiki/index.php ... ax_Theorem