Re: Quantum Computing and protein folding
From: mike3 (mike4ty4_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 02/26/04
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- In reply to: Mark Kvale: "Re: Quantum Computing and protein folding"
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Date: 26 Feb 2004 12:37:39 -0800
Mark Kvale <kvale.nospam@pacbell.net> wrote in message news:<_l9%b.9305870$Of.1533922@news.easynews.com>...
> mike3 wrote:
>
> > Hi.
> >
> > Would a quantum computer be able to efficiently, and accurately, solve
> > the protein folding problem?
>
> Well, a protein polypeptide itself is a quantum mechanical system that seems
> to do the job nicely. So, a brute force solution exists :)
>
> It is not clear that a general quantum computer could solve the folding
> problem any fatser using brute force as an algorithm. And the number of
> qubits needed to parametrize the state of a polypeptide, much less the
> surronding water, ions and helper molecules, is far beyond present
> technology.
>
> It's my hypothesis that even with the implicit parallelism of quantum
> computing, more clever algorithms that brute force will be needed to develop
> an efficient, accurate protein folder.
>
Maybe someone will someday figure out how to make such an algorithm
for a quantum computer, like when Shor's Algorithm was discovered for
factoring large numbers without brute force and Grover's Algorithm for
fast database search. The search for such an algorithm would of
course, probably be MUCH easier if and when a working, usable,
practical quantum computer is built!
- Previous message: Axel Boldt: "Re: Comparing two notions of computable number"
- In reply to: Mark Kvale: "Re: Quantum Computing and protein folding"
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