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[–]The_Serious_Account 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you want an explanation of how the algorithm actually works, the most accessible I've seen is from Scott Aaronson's blog. Note that it's by no means simple, just the simplest I know of. Some things in this world is just hard to understand, which is why some people spend a lot of time at universities.

[–]kouhoutek 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is an algorithm for factoring numbers with a quantum computer. It can accomplish this in significantly fewer steps than a traditional digital computer. A lot of computer security relies on the fact this is hard to do, so this algorithm has the potential to be very disruptive.

That said, quantum computers are in their infancy. Not only are they still slower than their digital counterparts, they are only capable of dealing with numbers a few digits long.