sterlingphoenix t1_j9v26ot wrote
It's a binary system because electricity is either on or off. Adding a "kinda" that's actually stable and reliable is incredibly complex.
With that said, this is pretty much what quantum computing seeks to overturn and why it's assumed to have such an impact on computing.
Both these subjects have been posted about before so you can search for more complete answers.
metaphorm t1_j9vaa3r wrote
that's not true. electricity is a physical phenomenon that has all kinds of continuous quantities associated with it. Amps, Voltage, Resistance, Charge, etc. are all physical quantities associated with electricity that aren't binary at all.
what you might be thinking of is the way an electronic logic circuit uses electricity to determine the logical state of the system. electronic circuits measure voltage potentials on a wire to determine the signal on the wire. The convention is to map a "high" voltage to 1 and a "low" voltage to 0. The exact value of high and low don't matter here, the only thing that's important is that the circuit can reliably measure those values and reliably distinguish the high value from the low value. The wire is capable of having potentials that aren't the values mapped to 1 or 0. In a normal integrated electronic circuit, that would be a kind of error state, but it's still physically possible. It's physically possible because electricity is not inherently "on" or "off".
sterlingphoenix t1_j9vbavj wrote
> what you might be thinking of is the way an electronic logic circuit uses electricity
No, what i'm thinking is that this is ELI5, not ELIamanelectricalengineer (:
metaphorm t1_j9vc4n8 wrote
Rule #4 from the sidebar
​
>Explain for laypeople (but not actual 5-year-olds)
>
>Unless OP states otherwise, assume no knowledge beyond a typical secondary education program. Avoid unexplained technical terms. Don't condescend; "like I'm five" is a figure of speech meaning "keep it clear and simple."
I think I explained myself in my post at a level that someone who passed their high school physics class would understand.
sterlingphoenix t1_j9vd4qv wrote
> Explain for laypeople
Yes, not electrical engineers. I simplified it.
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