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After 40 years of applied quantum computing we have made no useful discoveries. No surprise since it's applied. 40 years of LHG has yielded so many useful disc

After 40 years of applied quantum computing we have made no useful discoveries. No surprise since it's applied. 40 years of LHG has yielded so many useful discoveries. If we reallocated quantum computing funding to LHC wouldn't that be more rational? And there are far more useful things to fund than the already useful LHC.

ineedasername 7y ago
A solid understanding of quantum physics, helped along by research with quantum computing, is part of the foundation for much modern high technology. Current quantum computing research is pioneering better techniques for noise isolation and error correction, which has excellent practical potential as well. My point with the LHC isn't just that it has produced useful things, but that we didn't know exactly that it would do so when it all started. Planning & construction on projects that would eventually form part of the LHC began as early as the late 70's, early 80's, roughly 40 years ago. That too was based on research & engineering that started even earlier. So if we're comparing the LHC and quantum computing, the tech behind the LHC has had more time to be developed and refined. When quantum computing gets to the same level of maturity, it may have just as many positive effects. Even so, arguing about time lines is probably besides the point: different research can take longer or shorter to have a beneficial impact. Maybe there are other things that would benefit more from the same resources, but it's also not something we can know in advance. Plenty of early promising research is chased for years with no result. Some research takes decades for its significance and practical impacts to be felt. We have to pursue a lot of things or we'll never get much of anywhere. I'm also curious though: The argument that quantum computing isn't doing enough, fast enough, has some merit. It's not quite zero sum, but there is a limited amount of money to go around, and maybe it could be better spent. What would be your pet project to advance in place of quantum computing? Personally, I'd want greater focus on energy research. I'm not looking to criticize your choice, I'm genuinely curious.

ineedasername 7y ago

A solid understanding of quantum physics, helped along by research with quantum computing, is part of the foundation for much modern high technology. Current quantum computing research is pioneering better techniques for noise isolation and error correction, which has excellent practical potential as well. My point with the LHC isn't just that it has produced useful things, but that we didn't know exactly that it would do so when it all started. Planning & construction on projects that would eventually form part of the LHC began as early as the late 70's, early 80's, roughly 40 years ago. That too was based on research & engineering that started even earlier. So if we're comparing the LHC and quantum computing, the tech behind the LHC has had more time to be developed and refined. When quantum computing gets to the same level of maturity, it may have just as many positive effects. Even so, arguing about time lines is probably besides the point: different research can take longer or shorter to have a beneficial impact. Maybe there are other things that would benefit more from the same resources, but it's also not something we can know in advance. Plenty of early promising research is chased for years with no result. Some research takes decades for its significance and practical impacts to be felt. We have to pursue a lot of things or we'll never get much of anywhere. I'm also curious though: The argument that quantum computing isn't doing enough, fast enough, has some merit. It's not quite zero sum, but there is a limited amount of money to go around, and maybe it could be better spent. What would be your pet project to advance in place of quantum computing? Personally, I'd want greater focus on energy research. I'm not looking to criticize your choice, I'm genuinely curious.