Quick Quantum for High Schoolers: Understanding Qubits 🧠

This video is part of Quick Quantum: For High Schoolers, an educational web series sponsored by Boeing and produced by the Chicago Quantum Exchange with the help of scientists from Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago. It is intended to teach students about key concepts in quantum information science and engineering and show how these concepts can be used in real-world applications.

In order to make a quantum computer, we need to make quantum bits. In this episode, titled “What is a Qubit?”, Robby and Katie explain what a qubit does and how they are made. They also dive into what kinds of qubits are being used in labs all across the world.

Find the supplementary Quick Quantum Bit– Types of Qubits here: https://youtu.be/lbsJoDh0Z4s

Glossary of keywords–

Qubit (1:16): A quantum system with two possible states, where those states can be used to represent the 0 and 1 of a traditional computer bit
Spin (2:49): A property unique to quantum particles that has two possible states: up or down 
Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) Center (2:10): A defect in diamond where a carbon atom is replaced by a nitrogen atom, and an adjacent carbon atom is missing 
Decoherence (4:53): When a quantum system falls out of superposition, to exist in only one of its possible outcomes (states)
Entanglement (5:28): A uniquely quantum phenomenon where multiple quantum systems become one quantum system in superposition

"What is a Qubit?" quiz: https://take.quiz-maker.com/Q4NMMF9J6
Keywords flashcards: https://quizlet.com/_df6ke1?x=1jqt&i=53wda6
Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EkYGm7DEZkxRZtUi1gfWXDooGue-oJg4mNSV3r9DdBo/edit?usp=sharing

Learn more about this series on the Chicago Quantum Exchange website: https://chicagoquantum.org/education-and-training/quick-quantum

Hosts and guests are identified by the titles and affiliations they had at the time filming.

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