Quantum Mechanics, Microsoft’s Majorana 1, and Why Logic is Overrated
Terry Kwame Azaglo
Spontaneous Writer | SRM Researcher | MPhil Candidate | Learning facilitator | Climate Change
The first time I encountered quantum mechanics (QM) was in Level 200, during a course ominously titled Atomic Physics and Quantum Phenomena.
For weeks, I stared at equations like Planck's radiation law ( which you would integrate to get Stefan-Boltzamnn's law and differentiate to get Wien's displacement), Compton scattering, ?de Broglie?wavelength, Schr?dinger’s wave function, etc. wondering if physics had abandoned logic altogether.
A professor once told me, "You don't need logic to be a physicist—quantum mechanics defies human reasoning."
Emeritius Professor Richard Dawkins affirmed this when he said:
"The whole point about modern physics is that you can't do it by common sense. That's why you need physicists. Once you add gravity to the mix, everything changes."
It was equal parts liberating and terrifying.
Years later, I stumbled upon a lecture where a professor compared QM’s uncertainty principle (shout out to Grandpa Heisenberg) to pediatric care: “If you're a paediatrician with a really small patient who will not sit still, it's because the laws of quantum mechanics don't allow. quantum mechanics don't allow an object to have a definite, cannot have a definite position and momentum.” While amusing, it didn’t solve my existential crisis. But today, we’re not here to therapize my QM trauma—we’re here to talk about 微软 ’s Majorana 1, a quantum chip that could redefine computing as we know it.
What Even is Majorana 1? (And Why Should You Care?)
Microsoft’s new quantum chip, Majorana 1, leverages Majorana fermions—particles that are their own antiparticles—to create stable qubits. Unlike classical bits (which are either 0 or 1), qubits can exist in superposition (both 0 and 1). This isn’t just tech jargon; it’s a seismic shift.
Why it matters:
Hunt for gravitons over breakfast.
Quantum vs. AI
(The New Arms Race)
We’re already wrestling with AI, which conjures essays, art, and existential dread from a few prompts. But quantum computing isn’t just another tool—it’s a paradigm shift.
While AI generates memes, quantum could unlock fusion energy or design unhackable networks. But beware the hype: quantum won’t replace classical computing—it’ll augment it. (Also, no, your ChatGPT subscription won’t get quantum-boosted… yet.)
From Classroom Trauma to Quantum Triumph
Back in Level 200, I struggled to reconcile QM’s “illogic” with the rigid determinism of Newtonian physics. Today, I see why: QM isn’t a subject—it’s a philosophy.
It teaches us that certainty is a myth, particles are waves, and the universe is fundamentally weird.
微软 ’s Majorana 1 is a testament to embracing that weirdness. It’s not just a chip; it’s a doorway to problems we’ve never dared to solve.
The Future is Uncertain (And That’s the Point)
Will we all have pocket-sized LHCs? Maybe. Will quantum computing cure climate change or create new existential risks? Possibly.
But one thing’s certain: the same QM that baffled me in Level 200 is now fueling a revolution that even Schr?dinger couldn’t have predicted.
As for logic? Let’s leave that to the classical physicists.
To my fellow QM survivors—may your wave functions never collapse.