Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

$100,000 Prize: Prove Quantum Computers Impossible

Posted by Soulskill on from the simultaneously-yes-and-no dept.

mikejuk writes "Quantum computing is currently a major area of research — but is this all a waste of effort? Now Scott Aaronson, a well-known MIT computer scientist, has offered a prize of $100,000 for any proof that quantum computers are impossible: 'I'm now offering a US$100,000 award for a demonstration, convincing to me, that scalable quantum computing is impossible in the physical world.' Notice the two important conditions — 'physical world' and 'scalable.' The proof doesn't have to rule out tiny 'toy' quantum computers, only those that could do any useful work."

5 of 324 comments (clear)

  1. Easy, since it's the U.S. by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just point a gun at his head and ask him "Convinced?"

    1. Re:Easy, since it's the U.S. by Haven · · Score: 5, Funny

      Just point a gun at his head and ask him "Convinced?"

      This is the most concise explanation of a quantum computer I have ever read.

  2. The jokes on them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I will prove Quantum Computers both possible AND impossible at the SAME TIME!

    1. Re:The jokes on them by maxwell+demon · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, and you'll both get and not get the money at the same time. However don't complain if you find out that you didn't get it: It was you looking which caused the superposition to collapse into that state.

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
  3. You can't prove a negative by funwithBSD · · Score: 5, Funny

    So I guess the proof would be that they do exist, but only if you don't observe one.

    --
    Never answer an anonymous letter. - Yogi Berra