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Difference between Bits and Quantum Bits
There are two units of information namely, Bits and Quantum Bits. However, both Bits and Quantum Bits are different from each other. Bits, also called Classical Bits, is the smallest unit of measuring information and it can have only two values, i.e. 0 and 1, while Quantum Bits, also called Qubits, is a unit of information measurement employed in quantum computing.
In this article, we will discuss all the major differences between Bits and Quantum Bits. But before that, let us first briefly discuss their basics.
What are Bits?
In computing technology, a bit is the smallest unit of information measurement. It is also called classical bit. Basically, Bit is the acronym for Binary Digit. Therefore, a bit is nothing but a binary 0 or a binary 1.
Bits are used to express information in all digital computing systems. Multiple bits can be grouped together to form larger units of information. For example, 8-bits are grouped together to form a Byte. In computers and other digital systems, bits are used to specify two states of an electronic device, i.e. On and Off. Bits are used in all modern digital computers and electronic devices.
What are Quantum Bits?
Quantum Bit is the smallest unit of information measurement in quantum computing. It is also calledQubit. Unlike, classical bits, a quantum bit can have multiple states at the same time. This property of Qubits is known as superposition.
In other words, a quantum bit can have a combination of 0 and 1 simultaneously, making quantum computers to process data much faster than classical computers. Another important and unique characteristic of quantum bit is entanglement, which means two quantum bits can be correlated with each other so that the state of one quantum bit is dependent on the state of another quantum bit.
The entanglement property of quantum bit enables to develop the new algorithms to solve complex problems easily by using quantum computing. It is most important to known about quantum bits that quantum bits are implemented based on quantum systems like atoms, ions, etc.
After getting insights into the basics of bits and quantum bits, let us now discuss the important differences between them.
Difference between Bits and Quantum Bits
The important differences between bits and quantum bits are given in the following table:
S.No. |
Bits |
Quantum Bits |
|---|---|---|
1. |
A Bit, also called Binary Digit or Classical Bit, is the smallest unit of information measurement in digital computing technology. |
A Quantum Bit, also called Qubit, is the smallest unit of information measurement in quantum computing. |
2. |
A bit can have only two values, i.e. 0 and 1. |
A quantum bit can have multiple values simultaneously. |
3. |
Classical bit does not follow superposition property. |
Quantum bit follows superposition property. |
4. |
Computers that use bits are called classical computers. |
Computers that use quantum bit are called quantum computers. |
5. |
Bits are inherently stable, i.e. they do not change their states in the absence of external force. |
Quantum bits are inherently unstable, i.e. they can change their states even no external force exists. |
6. |
The value or state of a bit can be determined precisely. Hence, they are deterministic. |
The value or state of a quantum bit cannot be precisely determined. Hence, they are probabilistic. |
7. |
Bits are physically implemented through electronic and optical devices. |
Quantum bits are implemented by using quantum systems like ions, atoms, superconductors, etc. |
8. |
Bits are used to specify information in digital form. |
Quantum bits are used to specify quantum information. |
9. |
Bits are almost completely developed and being used in almost all computing technologies. |
Quantum bits are in their development stage. Hence, they are not being used in practical applications. |
10. |
Boolean operations are executed on bits. |
Quantum operations are executed on quantum bits. |
11. |
The processing of classical bits is comparatively slower in certain complex problems. |
The processing of quantum bits is faster. |
12. |
Transmission of bits through communication channels is easier. |
Transmission of quantum bits through communication channels is a more difficult task. |
13. |
Bits can be copied perfectly. |
Quantum bits cannot be copied perfectly. |
14. |
The circuit behavior of devices that use bits is based on the classical physics. |
The circuit behavior of devices that use quantum bits is based on the quantum mechanics. |
15. |
The operations on bits are performed using digital logic gates, such as AND, OR, NOT, etc. |
The operations on quantum bits are performed using quantum logic gates. |
Conclusion
From the above comparison, it is clear that bits and quantum bits have different properties and use different types of computing technologies to perform operations. The most significant difference between bits and quantum bits is that bit is the smallest unit of information measurement and processing that takes binary 0 and binary 1 as a value in digital computing systems, whereas quantum bit is the smallest unit of information measurement and processing in quantum computing systems that can have multiple values at the same time
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