> the oft referenced Shor's algorithm, for example, can factor a prime in polyno... | Hacker News

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		tzs on Jan 3, 2014 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: NSA seeks to build quantum computer that could cra... > the oft referenced Shor's algorithm, for example, can factor a prime in polynomial time, which is immensely faster. Actually, Shor's algorithm is for factoring composites, not factoring primes. Don't feel bad about that little word mixup. You are in good company. Bill Gates did it in his book "The Road Ahead".

HCIdivision17 on Jan 3, 2014 [–]

Not gonna lie, I feel a bit dumb for that. Factoring primes is as useful as a one-input mux, as a college roomie would say.

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