← Glossary Term
qubit
The basic unit of a quantum computer, a quantum version of the bit that can hold a mix of 0 and 1 at once.
A normal computer stores information in bits, each either 0 or 1. A qubit is the quantum version: it can be in a blend of both states until you measure it, and several qubits can be linked together in ways that have no everyday equivalent.
Qubits are delicate and easily disturbed, so today’s quantum computers have relatively few of them and make many errors. That is why researchers care about circuits that need fewer qubits and fewer steps (called gates) to do the same job.
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