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In physics, information is entropy. Put simply, entropy is a measure of all the possibilities in a system. From black holes to quantum mechanics to understanding the physics of life, information has risen to become a principal concern of many physicists in many domains. Efficient error-correcting codes for quantum computing recently emerged from mathematical models used to study black holes. This surprising finding joins to a long list of profound connections between information and physics.
The most intriguing examples began as paradoxes or “thought experiments” that are hard to test experimentally. Physicists take them seriously because they challenge core concepts and may require revolutionary theoretical changes that could have practical consequences.
Quantum information is the study of information using principles of quantum mechanics, enabling technologies like ultra-secure communication, highly precise sensors, and powerful quantum computers that leverage quantum phenomena like superposition (qubits being 0 and 1 simultaneously) and entanglement to process complex problems classical computers can't, revolutionizing fields from medicine to materials science.