Ants in a maze
In the maze of computation, quantum computers divide and conquer to find the exit.
So how can a quantum computer perform certain tasks faster than our current ‘classical’ computers? We, the Quantum Computing Vision Team, created an animation to explain this – you can access it using the QR code.
Imagine a maze with one exit. In order to find the exit, a classical computer will try all possible paths until it has found the exit: just like a ladybug would if we placed it at the start of the maze.
A quantum computer takes a radically different approach: all different paths are explored and interacting simultaneously – a bit like a colony with many ants working together to find the best path to some food – and the quantum computer finds the exit much faster.
Ladybugs and Ants | A classical computer (top) tries every route one by one, whilst in a quantum computer (bottom) all paths are explored and interact simultaneously — like a colony of ants.
Are you curious to find out how the quantum ants can accomplish this task faster than the ladybug? Check out the video below.