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WillO
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The value of a qubit is, in effect, a complex number. To specify a complex number requires an infinite (and in fact uncountable) number of bits. So in terms of the information that's stored, a qubit is the equivalent of a large infinite number of bits. The extent to which you can make use

You cannot, of course, extract all of that information. As Peter Shor points out in comments, ---Holevo's Theroem says that is, the extent to which you can distinguish between the (probability distributions of) the results you get by observing two qubits with very close values --- is a question about engineering, not about physicsextract at most one bit.

The value of a qubit is, in effect, a complex number. To specify a complex number requires an infinite (and in fact uncountable) number of bits. So a qubit is the equivalent of a large infinite number of bits. The extent to which you can make use of all that information --- that is, the extent to which you can distinguish between the (probability distributions of) the results you get by observing two qubits with very close values --- is a question about engineering, not about physics.

The value of a qubit is, in effect, a complex number. To specify a complex number requires an infinite (and in fact uncountable) number of bits. So in terms of the information that's stored, a qubit is the equivalent of a large infinite number of bits.

You cannot, of course, extract all of that information. As Peter Shor points out in comments, Holevo's Theroem says that you can extract at most one bit.

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WillO
  • 17.1k
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  • 41
  • 71

The value of a qubit is, in effect, a complex number. To specify a complex number requires an infinite (and in fact uncountable) number of bits. So a qubit is the equivalent of a large infinite number of bits. The extent to which you can make use of all that information --- that is, the extent to which you can distinguish between the (probability distributions of) the results you get by observing two qubits with very close values --- is a question about engineering, not about physics.