What Is Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is a model of computation that exploits quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement to perform calculations exponentially faster than classical computers, with potential applications in cryptography, optimization, and simulation. It's a subclass of computation and an instance of an academic discipline, with a growing community of researchers and developers working on quantum algorithms and quantum hardware. The basic unit of information in quantum computing, the qubit, serves the same function as the bit in ordinary or classical computing, but can exist in a linear combination of two states known as a quantum superposition.